Golden Sun: The Legends of Lemuria
by Oracle Of Elements
Summary: While searching for their lost friends and the other lighthouses, our heros find themselves wrapped up in a deeper plot that will ultimately decide all of their fates. (Complete. Wow this story is long.)
1. Trial and Error

Finally, my first proper Golden Sun fanfic. Ah, I do love Golden Sun.

Isaac: Me too.

Yami: Wow, I'd never have guessed that!

Isaac: Quiet you!

That had better be fighting over me in there! You love me don't you Leggy?

Legolas: Of course, mistress.

YAY! On to the story of happiness! Tally-ho!

**Trial and Error**

As the beautiful ship sailed through the peaceful ocean, all was not peaceful on the deck.

"I don't know why everyone thinks the ocean is so great," cried Garet, his red hair bobbing as he leant over the ship's side once more.

"Stop complaining Garet," cried Mia, her own blue-green hair waving in the light breeze, "I think it's beautiful."

In the early morning light, it was more than beautiful. It was magnificent! The waves sparkled like sapphires and the salty smell was intoxicating. The sun was slowly rising giving the whole sea a mystical radiance that shone like the very heavens. Breathing it all in, Mia sighed happily.

"I'm not saying it isn't beautiful, I just wish we could stop rocking," Garet whined, "Isaac! Can't you sail any smoother?"

Isaac's bright, young face, which was showing how much he was enjoying the journey, broke into a smile. Standing at the wheel he shook his head in disbelief.

"Sorry Garet, but this is the ocean. I can't tell it to quiet down."

Sighing, Garet gazed out at the horizon sadly. Despite the tranquillity of the sea, the boat didn't seem to be travelling very far and as every minute passed by, anything could be happening to Jenna, Sheba and Kraden.

Suddenly, the boat was hit by a large wave causing Garet to rush to the boat's rim again.

"What was that?" Mia yelled.

* * *

Up on the ship's mast, Ivan was on lookout duties but in the warm sunlight he'd fallen asleep. Having been up all night patrolling the deck he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep and the cushion he'd brought up with him seemed so comfortable he couldn't help it.

As he breathed softly, his short blond rustled slightly making him look much younger than he really was. For his whole life, he'd always stayed away from an adventure. That was, until he met Isaac and Garet who were the first to like him despite his weird powers. He had suddenly become involved with their journey and had made two true friends.

Murmuring, he turned in his sleep. The dream he was having was amazing! He was with a mysterious girl. Her face was cloaked in shadows, but he knew it was incredibly beautiful. She walked towards him in a swift motion, which was enchanting. Her arms wrapped themselves around his body and pulled him close. He wanted to do the same but his fears took over.

"It's ok," she whispered, relieving him of all doubts.

Her face emerged out of the shadows and to Ivan's surprise he stared at the stunning Sheba. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he leant forward. They were about to kiss when Ivan was abruptly woken by a great shudder. Something had hit the ship!

Now, wide awake and with all thoughts of the wonderful dream removed from his mind, he scrambled to his feet and looked over the edge of the crow's nest. Sure enough, the ship was being pummelled by colossal waves. Isaac was desperately trying to divert the ship away from the waves but his efforts were in vain.

Hurriedly, Ivan climbed down the rope and joined Mia and a very pale Garet on deck.

"Mia, what's happening?" he asked.

"We're not sure. These waves came out of nowhere. I'm going to see Isaac and find out what he thinks. Oh, and Garet. Why don't you go down to my room and find one of my Djinn. One of them is bound to be able to cure your seasickness."

Groaning, Garet took Mia's advice and staggered towards the cabin door as she hurried off to find Isaac.

Suddenly, a second gigantic wave struck the vessel, knocking Ivan off his feet. Garet, having a great deal of upper body strength, stayed upright, but he nearly threw up again. Rushing to Ivan, he helped his friend back up. Smiling weakly at each other the boys looked around for any major damage to the ship when they heard a high-pitched scream. They hurried to the side and cried out when they saw Mia struggling against the savage currents.

* * *

At the other side of the boat, Isaac was in a predicament. Having been the closest one to the impact, it had hurled him over the wheel and into the stormy sea. Just in time, he grabbed the rim of the ship tightly. He swung around and smashed straight into the side. There was a heart-wrenching crack and a sharp pain shot down Isaac's left arm. Grimacing, he desperately tried to pull himself back up, but the without the strength of his other arm he didn't get very far.

A sudden scream stole his attention away from his task. When he saw Mia falling into the foaming water, all other thoughts left his mind. With not a second to waste he dived straight in after her. The pain in his arm tripled as he frantically swam through the rough ocean. He felt as if his whole body was going to shrivel up from the damage but his bright blue eyes never left Mia's struggling body. Suddenly, her whole body was jerked further down into the depths. She weakly glanced up at Isaac and gave him a small smile before her eyes closed.

Fuelled with great determination, he swam after her, but was shocked to find something grab his leg. He turned and saw a huge shadow of an arm wrapped firmly around him. Before he could react, he was also pulled down sharply after Mia. His warrior instincts quickly took over. He drew his mighty Gaia Blade and swung it into the creature. A loud cry echoed around him and the arm released him. He could vaguely see Mia floating below him, but he couldn't breathe. All the air had left his body. He had no choice. He'd have to resurface and try again.

* * *

On the boat's rim, Ivan and Garet desperately gazed into the darkness, trying to catch any clue to as what was happening.

_They've been down there too long,_ Ivan thought, unable to voice his fears to Garet, _Something happened. What if they need our help?_

Sensing Garet's dread of losing another friend, Ivan was about to comfort him when a stream of bubbles broke the rough surface and Isaac appeared.

"Isa..." Garet didn't even have time to call to his best friend before Isaac dove back under. "Well, that's just super," he said sarcastically, but Ivan could tell he was just joking to cover up his emotions.

"We have to do something," Ivan cried above the crashing of the waves against the side of the boat.

"Yeah, but what?"

Ivan wanted to answer yet he had no clue of what they could do either. It was usually Isaac's job to do the thinking.

_Brilliant. Our leader's gone for five minutes and we fall to pieces._

* * *

Isaac once again tried to see through the murky darkness, longing to catch a glimpse of Mia's perfect face. It didn't take long for him to find her. Once again, she hung limply in the water with a long arm wrapped around her chest. With his sword held tightly in his grip, Isaac pushed himself towards her and rammed it into the arm.

Another ear splitting cry came from the bottom of the ocean and the arm retreated into the shadows.

With Mia carefully clutched to his side, Isaac dragged her upwards and took a long breath as they surfaced. From above him somewhere, he could hear the excited shouts of his friends, but he didn't care as long as Mia was safe.

A small blast of cold air surrounded him. He looked up and grinned at Ivan who had sent a whirlwind towards them to lift Mia up. Garet had cast the Catch spell, which was tightening around Isaac and pulled him out of the water. Thinking they were out of danger, Isaac let Mia go so that Ivan could lift her easily.

When he had nearly reached the boat's side, an unpleasantly familiar tug came from near his foot. The same arm was once again around his ankle.

_Not again! _Isaac thought as he fell back into the water.

* * *

Ivan laughed happily while he allowed his whirlwind to bring Mia back aboard. His laugher quickly stopped when he saw Garet struggling beside him. Ivan looked down only to see a long tentacle grab Isaac and drag him back under water.

His startled gaze turned back to Mia who had exactly the same thing happening to her. In mere moments, their friends had disappeared again.

"Just prefect," Garet cried, slamming his fists on the ship's rim.

"Calm down, Garet. I think I can see something."

A shadowed shape was moving in the water. Unfortunately, it wasn't Isaac or Mia. A simply huge creature was emerging before them. It was a Kraken, and in two of its tentacles it held a struggling Isaac and the limp form of Mia. The creature gave a gurgling howl and tightened its grip around the two adepts until Isaac was gasping in pain.

Unnerved by the scene, neither Ivan nor Garet made a move until the Kraken sent a powerful burst of water energy at them.

Garet quickly retaliated with a stream of flames that bounced harmlessly off of the creature's scales. Ivan did nothing but stare, thinking hard until an idea came to him.

"Garet! Water creatures are weak against lightning attacks!" He lifted his long staff and began to summon all of his energy.

"IVAN, NO!"

But it was too late. The attack shot across the water spreading out as it did and hit not only the Kraken, but Isaac, Mia and part of the ship as well.

The Kraken's cry of pain disappeared as it vanished under the water, defeated. Though, before it submerged completely, it flung Isaac and Mia as far away as it could. Ivan and Garet could do nothing but watch as they soared out of sight.

Without looking at Ivan, Garet ran to the part of the ship that was now in flames and used Catch once more to grab giant fistfuls of seawater to put out the flames. When he returned, Ivan was sitting at the far side of the deck with his face in his arms while he sobbed bitterly.

"Ivan?"

"It's all my fault!" Ivan cried sadly.

"Well, yeah..."

Ivan dissolved into a fresh set of tears at this remark.

"But we all make mistakes Ivan. Heck, think of me. The day isn't complete until I've set myself on fire at least twice."

Laughing, Ivan lifted his head the remains of the tears still evident on his face.

"You were just trying to help. It wasn't your fault."

"I guess."

Ivan stood up slowly and walked over to Garet. They both looked at the distant horizon with heavy hearts.

"What will we do?" Ivan sniffed.

"Try to find the closest island. Isaac and Mia may have washed up nearby so we might as well start looking. Don't beat yourself up about it," Garet added to the still upset Ivan. "At least we don't have to put up with Isaac and Mia being all lovey-dovey for awhile."

Laughing together, the boys went off to work so they could sail to whatever island was closest to them. But the image of Isaac and Mia hurt somewhere quickly stopped their laughs letting their thoughts dissolved into sorrow once more.

* * *

I've a good feeling about this story. It will go far. Won't it?

Isaac/Yami/Legolas: Of course.

YAY! Happiness all around. Hopefully, I'll be able to get Chapter 2 done soon since it's the summer hols, YAY! Please review my happy little readers!


	2. Great Discoveries

Hello again! I'm very happy!

Yami: Does this mean you're gonna stop writing stories and live a normal life?

Of course not silly!

Yami: Drat.

Hahahah...shut up! No, I'm happy because although I've only got two reviews so far, they was very positive and have given me confidence to continue my story. Thank you Mercury Gold and Sorian for your wonderful reviews.

Isaac: Yes, she has been bouncing off the walls since she first read them.

Leggy: You have made my mistress very happy.

YAY! I will now write faster than lightning in hope that I will get more.

Yami: Unlikely. Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun or anything else for that matter.

Quiet you!

**Great Discoveries**

"Who is he your highness?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but he is most certainly a very skilled warrior. That sword has been excellently crafted from the finest materials I've ever seen."

"I have never seen such a sword. Do you think it has any special powers your highness?"

"Yes, this is the Gaia Blade. This means that this young man is an adept, possibly Venus."

Isaac stirred slightly. There were voices all around him, but what they were saying was of no importance to him. Not when Mia was alone somewhere, maybe even hurt. He struggled to open his eyes, yet he felt so tired. Perhaps he should sleep. He hadn't slept properly for weeks.

_NO! I have to save Mia!_

He blinked and waited for the world to come into focus. Stood above him where three men. One much older than the other two and had a long white beard that fell past his waist and matched his silvery robes. The other two were obviously guards as they were very heavily armoured. The older man smiled gently at him, his kind brown eyes full of relief.

"I'm glad to see you have awoken. We thought you were beyond healing."

Confused by these words, Isaac looked at his aching body. His shirt and scarf had been removed, revealing that his bare chest was covered in various cuts and bruises, most of which were healing, and his broken arm was wrapped in a soft white bandage.

"Where am I?" he asked shakily, trying to sit up.

The man pushed him back down gently.

"Please, don't get up. You are still weak. You are in Daila, the northern most town on the continent of Indra."

_Daila? Indra? _Thoroughly confused, Isaac tried to remember what had happened.

"Mia...I have to find Mia..."

"I'm sorry, I don't know a Mia. You must be delirious..."

"NO! I have to find her! She could be hurt too!"

The three men exchanged nervous glances, each one unsure of Isaac's sanity.

"Go and get the healer," the older man told the two guards who nodded and walked out of the room.

"Please, I have to find her!" Isaac pleaded, trying to get up once more. The man pushed him back, this time slightly roughly.

"Calm down, explain to me what happened."

Isaac took a deep breath and tried to recall everything that happened before he'd blacked out. All of it seemed irrelevant as long as Mia was lost in this strange new place. But the man was sympathetic. He smiled sadly at the warrior.

"We found no one but you on our shores, urm..."

"Isaac."

"Isaac. If there had been anyone else, my guards would have found them. But if it will help, I'll ask them to search again. In the mean time, while you are healing, you are free to stay here for a long as you need. If you want anything at all, say you are a guest of Lord Drake."

Once again, the man smiled warmly and turned to leave.

"Please excuse me, but there are things I must be doing."

As the doors closed behind him, Isaac sighed and gazed around the small room. It was plain and empty except for Isaac's possessions that had been placed on a small wooden table by his bed. A window stood on the far wall that seemed to overlook the town. Various noises and voices reached Isaac's ears from below, but they were too far away to hear what was going on.

Isaac turned over under the bed sheets and stared at the white ceiling. What if Mia was badly injured? What if they didn't find her in time? She could be anywhere; he might never see her again. Without a second thought, he pulled the sheets away from him and began to move towards his clothes, wincing from the pain in his arm.

Before he'd even reached his things, he heard a voice from outside his door. It was Lord Drake again and he wasn't alone.

"Where was she?"

"Just east of where we found the boy. She was still partly in the ocean which was why we didn't see her at first."

"Is she alright?"

"Well, she's alive, but only barely. I doubt there's much we can do for her."

It was at this point that Isaac burst through the door, his eyes wild and upset.

"You found Mia? I have to see her, where is she?"

The guard was about to take him back into the room when Lord Drake put out his hand and indicated for Isaac to follow him. Grateful that he had, Isaac nearly ran after him into a similar room to his own. On a single bed in the centre of the room, surrounded by various healers, was the single person Isaac cared most about in the world.

"Mia?" he whispered, rushing to her side. The healers gave him disgruntled looks, which were banished by Lord Drake who quietly asked them to leave to two teenagers alone. "How could I let this happen to you? I should have been faster, stronger, anything to just prevent you from getting hurt."

He sobbed into her delicate silk cape. His heart felt like it was ripping in two. He could hardly hear her heart beat. Moving his scarred hands over her chest, he muttered the word, 'Cure,' and watched as light moved from his hands to her body, but nothing happened. This caused him to cry even more. He could do nothing to save her except watch her slowly fade away.

* * *

Once again, the beautiful Lemurian ship was pushing through the waves towards what appeared to be a new continent in the middle of the sea. Despite Garet's bad sense of direction, they'd managed to reach their destination and hopefully their missing companions. Ivan quickly climbed down from the crow's nest as Garet steered the ship into the port. Leaving the ship in the capable hands of a local sailor, they headed towards the nearby town.

"How do we know they're even here? They could be miles away."

"Have faith, Ivan. When have I ever led you wrong?"

There was a long silence where Ivan glared at Garet, who looked sheepishly at his young friend.

"I don't think I'll even answer that if the last twenty six times you got us lost are anything to go by."

"Yeah, but we got where we were supposed to go in the end."

"Yeah, after Isaac took over as the leader."

Once again, there was an awkward silence. Even thinking about their lost leader was painful.

As soon as they reached the town, they split up to ask if anyone had seen Isaac and Mia. The information led them to a large building near the centre of the village, which they were told belonged to their leader, Lord Drake. But when they entered, there was a sense of foreboding. Something bad had happened and the guards refused to let them enter.

"But we need to find out about our friends!" Garet cried, his temper rising. "We think they were brought here!"

"Lord Drake has sent strict orders that no one is to enter while he has guests."

"Please, sir. Two of our friends were in an accident and they were swept out to sea. The people in the village said that two people were found and brought here fitting their description," Ivan pleaded, using his large appealing purple eyes to appeal to the guards.

"I'm sorry, but you just can't enter. Now, scram!"

Dejected but undefeated, the boys crept around the guards under the magic of the Cloak Ball and worked their way through the building. This took them longer than they thought. It was much bigger than it appeared on the outside.

When they slowly closed the door of seventh room they'd searched, they reached a heavily guarded corridor that was highly suspicious. Making their way through the shadows, they silently passed each guard until they were inches away from the only door in the corridor. But something happened that they didn't expect. One of the guards moved away from the stained glass window opposite them, allowing light to stream through and dispel the shadow that hid them.

"Aw, crap," Garet swore as all eyes turned to them.

* * *

Sunlight spilled from a distant source as Isaac ran through what seemed to be a dark corridor. He could hear Mia calling to him, but he couldn't see her. All he could do was run.

A loud noise woke him suddenly and for a while he couldn't remember where he was. It was when he saw Mia's lifeless form in front of him that he recalled the events of the previous day. He'd spent the entire day by her side, refusing any food or medical attention as his arm had begun to bleed rather badly. All he wanted to do was be with Mia.

He looked around for the cause of the sound that had woken him and walked to the door of the small room. Outside, five guards were struggling to contain two fierce boys that didn't seem to want to be caught.

"Sir, we are very sorry to disturb you, but these two don't want to come quietly," the nearest guard explained while trying to hold onto an oddly familiar figure.

"Ivan?" Isaac asked in amazement, which stopped all movement. The small person looked up and grinned.

"Isaac! See, I told you we knew him. Now let me go!"

The guards instantly let go allowing Ivan and Garet to hug their lost friend.

"Good to see you mate. Ivan was getting worried there, thought you were a goner for a while."

Ivan elbowed him playfully in the ribs with a grin on his young face.

"Well, I suppose I was sort of worried, but not as much as Ivan."

"You know these trespassers then, sir?" one of the guards asked uncertainly.

"Yes, they're my friends and companions. Why do you call them trespassers?" Isaac eyed the pair suspiciously as they put on guilty faces.

"They broke into the building to find you."

"Ah, well. They'll do that every so often. Please do not charge them; they were only trying to find me."

The guards nodded, but still glared at them slightly.

"Come inside," Isaac said pulling the door open wider.

As Ivan and Garet walked past him, the emotions changed quite rapidly from joyous to concerned and scared.

"Isaac! What happened to your arm?"

"Mia! Mia? What happened to her? Is she alright?"

Isaac gave them a small smile that couldn't help but show all the weariness and fear he'd been holding back since he'd woken up the previous day.

"Garet, my arm is fine, nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Mia. She hasn't moved since the guards brought her in."

"Haven't you tried to cure her?" Ivan asked desperately as he held Mia's pale hand tightly.

"It was the first thing I did, but I'm not strong enough at the moment. I left all my healing items back on the ship."

"Well, it's a good thing we didn't," said Garet, trying to be as cheerful as possible. He passed Isaac a Psy Crystal that was absorbed into his hand the moment he touched it. Garet then crossed the room and tipped some Water of Life into Mia's mouth. It glowed slightly before disappearing behind her soft lips. Colour flooded back into her face, but she remained lifeless.

"The only thing we can do now is wait I guess," Ivan muttered. The others nodded.

"Come on," said Isaac quietly, "I'll take you to meet Lord Drake. He'll find you rooms for you to stay in."

Nodding again, Garet and Ivan walked through the door leaving Isaac alone with Mia once more. He approached her slowly, scared that any sudden movement may worsen her condition. Hoping that no one was watching through the open door, he kissed her lightly on the lips before leaving her in peace, wishing with all his heart that she'd survive.

* * *

Aww! I'm so mean to you Isaac! I'm so sorry!

Isaac: Mia! Don't die!

Leggy: It's so sad!

Yami: Oh brother!

I'm such a sap for lovey-dovey romantic bits. Don't blame me readers, blame my...urm...imagination! That's it! It's my imaginations fault. Kill that instead!

Yami: Yeah, it's not as if she uses it much!

Read and review shiny happy people!


	3. The Plot Thickens

I'M BACK!

Isaac/Leggy: YAY!

Yami: Boo!

Well, two out of three isn't bad. I love all the people who reviewed, in a normal way of course! Hehehe... Anyway, onto another chapter of my infamous story. Hope you like it!

Yami: And don't worry, she owns not Golden Sun.

**The Plot Thickens**

Isaac couldn't sleep. He turned over on his bed and stared at the vision next to him. Bathed in the moonlight from the sky outside, Mia lay in the bed across the room from him, her chest moving up and down in a soothing way. He could hear her breathing softly, but other than that, she made no sign of waking up.

Isaac sighed and closed his eyes again. Images of Mia sinking into darkness surrounded him, setting all of his senses on red alert. He desperately tried to reach her, but she was just too far away. The same shadowy arms appeared around her. Isaac cried out then found he couldn't breathe. He was suffocating in the darkness. There was a scream followed by intense silence. A figure appeared in front of him carrying Mia, a boy, no older than Ivan, but something wasn't right. He shone in an odd way. His whole chest was made of metal as well as his right arm. He grinned evilly and cut open Mia's chest.

Isaac cried out in pain and woke up. He was in the small bare room again. Mia was still in the bed and she was still alive. Isaac breathed easily again. Relaxing, he let himself drop back onto the bed yet didn't remember sitting up.

Five minutes later, Isaac was going over the dream again and again in his mind. He couldn't remember what the boy looked like except that sickly smile and the metal armour covering his torso. But why was he hurting Mia if he was a stranger? Was it perhaps a vision of the future? Isaac knew there wasn't any Jupiter Adept blood in his family, so how could that be? He decided to talk to Ivan the next morning. With one last fleeting look at Mia, he turned over and closed his eyes again.

Moments later, his eyes snapped open again. There was someone in the room with them. He could sense another person. The intruder was moving so quietly, Isaac wasn't sure if he was dreaming until he sensed it again. Whoever it was, it wasn't someone Isaac knew.

He lifted himself ever so slightly, enabling him to look around the room. A man was standing over Mia's lifeless body. A blue headscarf bearing strange symbols obscured his face and he wore an outfit of different cloaks and materials, all of which were a deep ocean blue colour.

Undoubtedly up to no good, he moved his hand over Mia's face while muttering something in a foreign language. Wishing he'd brought his sword from the other room, Isaac got out of bed and approached the man with his hands balled into fists. But before he could attack, the stranger said, "Ply". Isaac instantly recognized this as the water spell Mia used often to heal people after a battle and froze.

Mia's eyelids fluttered, and then opened slightly, blinking in the moon's bright light. She gasped softly when she saw the man in front of her.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Piers," he replied in a strong, but gentle voice, "And I need your help. My people need the aid of you and your companions."

Turning to check that Isaac was still asleep, he found himself face to face with none other Isaac who was still in an attacking position. Before Isaac could move, the man ran to the only window in the small room and jumped out.

Isaac reminded still as he watched in shock. A tap on his shoulder made him turn to the one he'd been longing to speak with for a while.

"Mia!" he cried, hugging his friend. When he realized what he'd done, he pulled away quickly, though he didn't notice the disappointment in Mia's eyes. "Are you alright? Should you be standing up?"

"I'm fine," she answered cheerfully, "I don't know what that guy, Piers, did, but I feel amazing. You don't look it though. Is your arm ok? Have you been sleeping? It's just, there are huge bags under your eyes as well."

"Same old Mia. I'm fine and it's great that you are too. Still, I wonder what that guy wanted."

"I don't know. It may sound strange, but I didn't feel as though he was a stranger. He seemed oddly familiar. You think I'm mad, don't you?"

"Never." Isaac's voice was full of sincerity and as he held Mia's hand tightly, she felt comforted.

"Where are we anyway?"

"Somewhere called Daila. That Kraken threw us pretty far, and apparently quite hard. You've been out for a while." He looked deep into Mia's aquamarine eyes and his smile widened. She smiled back, her head tipping towards him slightly. Before he knew what he was doing, Isaac took a step back and shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Hey, it's late. Maybe we should rest up and talk again tomorrow with Ivan and Garet. I'm actually quite amazed that they found us considering Garet's sense of direction. Well, night then."

Mia looked rather shocked. For someone who barely spoke on their journey here, Isaac sure was babbling on. She felt rather disappointed again that he hadn't realized she wanted to stay up and talk, but decided she better not voice how she felt. At least not now.

"Night," she replied, slipping back under the cool sheets on her bed. While Isaac did the same.

Unable to think of anything else to say, Isaac turned his back on her and pretended to go to sleep. Though he wasn't in the least bit tired. He turned back and gazed at her sleeping form. Suddenly he realized something. This wasn't the same shy girl he'd first met in Imil that fateful day when the first lighthouse had been lit. She'd changed somehow. She was no longer a girl, but a young woman and this change was something he'd never noticed. When he looked at her beautiful face, something jumped inside of him and he felt as if he could look at her forever. A warm glow spread gently across his face and even in the virtually empty room, he felt self-conscience in front of her.

_Is this love?_ He asked himself. Unsure of the answer, he closed his eyes for the last time and smiled slightly as he drifted to sleep, only to be plagued by the same dreadful dreams again.

* * *

Coughing, a young blonde girl crawled out from under a large pile of rubble. The cave that she'd slept in with her companions seemed like a good place to stay the previous night. None of them anticipated that it would collapse when the two men in the party had a fight.

The girl's clothes were torn and covered in dust, and the crystal rod she used as a weapon has smashed, littering the floor with glass. Aching all over, she tried to stand, but was too weak. Trying again, this time using her useless rod to lean on, she got to her feet and looked around. Everything had been destroyed. The walls had caved in and there didn't seem to be anyway out.

"Felix!" the solitary figure cried pitifully, her voice echoing in the silence, "Jenna!"

She was the only one left. Despite her powers growing to levels unknown to her before she'd been dragged into the journey, she hadn't seen this happening and couldn't stop her new friends from suffering a terrible fate. And now, she was all alone in a strange place.

Jumping at a loud noise behind her, the girl turned to see an older girl emerge out of the rubble. Her auburn hair was full of dust and stones, and her once beautiful red outfit was just as damaged. Grinning, they rushed to embrace each other.

"Jenna! You're ok!" the younger girl cried with joy.

"You too Sheba. Oh, I was so worried."

Being the only two girl prisoners of Saturos and Menardi, the two evil adepts that had snatched them away from their homes, they'd become friends in a short amount of time.

"Have you seen Felix?" Jenna asked, looking around hopefully.

"Oh Jenna, no I haven't, but I'll help you look for him. We will find him, don't worry."

Smiling gratefully, Jenna began moving rock with her psynergy with great determination. But some little voice deep down inside her kept saying that it was too late. He was gone like the rest of her family and once again, she was alone.

Sheba suddenly screamed and jumped away from the rocks she was shifting with Whirl Wind. Jenna grabbed her tightly and held her trembling friend as if they were family.

_I suppose Sheba's the closest thing I have to a sister now_, Jenna thought sadly.

"Sheba? What is it? What's wrong?"

All Sheba could do was point at something that stuck prominently out of a pile of large rocks. When she went to investigate, Jenna also cried out when she saw that it was a human hand. Terrifying thoughts ran through her head as she dropped onto her knees and began pulling the rocks away with her bare hands, desperate to see who it was. She kept clawing at rock after rock until her hands were raw and bloody and there was only one large boulder left blocking her view.

"Move!" she cried weakly, using the last of her wasted psynergy. Her eyes watered as dust rose from the floor and when it faded away, lying unmoving on the floor was...

"Kraden!" Coughing from the dust, Sheba crept closer to Jenna and knelt down with her next to the old scholar. Blood was streaming from a deep wound on his head and the rest of his frail body was covered with more cuts.

Pulling the folds of Kraden's cloak away from his neck, Jenna tried to find a pulse. She looked sadly at Sheba and slowly shook her head. Sheba made a small cry and began sobbing into her dirt smeared hands. Although she wasn't crying, Jenna felt torn up inside as she held the poor man's hand. One of her oldest friends was dead. She clenched her free hand and glared at the roof of the cavern.

"When will this stupid quest and the killing end?" she yelled into the darkness. Sheba flinched at this unknown side of Jenna, but felt exactly the same way.

Jenna carefully removed her long purple cloak that she'd worn since she was a child and wrapped it around Kraden's now cold body. Even if it wasn't much, she was glad that she could at least do something to show proper respect to him, which was something he'd been striving to teach her from a very early age.

Sheba got up and began pacing around, deep in thought.

"What are we supposed to do now? We're trap...argh!"

Sheba hadn't even finished her sentence when she tripped over something on the dark floor. Going to help her friend, Jenna suddenly realized that Sheba wasn't the only one groaning in pain. In the shadows, a barely visible figure lay nursing a wounded arm.

Jenna grabbed her own rod and gripped it tightly. Sheba, knowing that something was wrong, but completely defenceless, ducked behind Jenna and peaked at the strange person. Prepared to attack, Jenna raised the rod, when a familiar voice stopped her instantly.

"Jenna?"

"Who's that?" Jenna asked suspiciously, scared yet curious. She knew that voice, she was sure of it, but it couldn't be.

Getting up, the stranger limped out of the shadows, revealing that he wasn't such a stranger after all.

"Felix!" Jenna breathed, rushing to her brother and hugging him tightly.

"It's good to see you too, Jenna," the dark haired warrior said happily. He held her by her shoulders and looked her over carefully. Satisfied that she was indeed fine, he let go and grinned at Sheba. "You Ok?"

She nodded shyly, trying not to meet his gaze. After he'd saved her from an immediate death when she'd fallen from the aerie of the Venus Lighthouse, she found it rather awkward being the focus of his attention..

Something else had caught Felix's attention though as he looked over Sheba at the large bundle on the floor. He glanced at Jenna with a questioning look.

"It's Kraden," was his answer. Putting two and two together, he placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting way and said, "He was a good man and lived a long, healthy life. At least he died doing what he loved."

The girls both wore sad faces as Felix used his Venus powers to raise a pile of dirt from out of the ground and placed his old teacher into it before covering him with soil. The makeshift funeral was cut short by a distant rumble that caused dust to fall from the roof onto the trio.

"We need to get out of here. Quick, hold onto me," Felix instructed the girls who rushed to his side.

"Wait! What about Alex?" asked Sheba, her compassionate nature showing concern for even those who didn't deserve it.

"He can handle it! Hang on tight!"

The rumbling grew louder and just as Felix used the almighty power of the Earth to invoke Retreat, a slab of rock fell and landed right where they had been seconds before.

* * *

Chapter Three done and dusted! I'm so proud!

Yami: I'm not!

I didn't ask you. God, there's always one muse that disagrees with every single thing you say isn't there?!

Isaac: Of course. It's in the contract.

Damn contract!

Leggy: It matters not my mistress. Let your loyal servant Legolas sooth your tense muscles with a nice back rub.

Oh Leggy. What would I do without you?

Isaac: And I have made you a cup of coffee.

Why Isaac, I didn't know you cared!

Isaac: Which you will get if you stop hurting Mia and me!

Blackmail, I should have known. Fine, no more pain! Happy now!

Yami: NO! It was the only good bit in you fics!

Leggy: I personally think the good bit is the romantic stuff.

Yami/Isaac: You are such a sad sap!

Leggy: Am not!

While they fight I must remind you that reviews are good things, not bad things so send as many as possible to make my writing go faster. Thank you, goodnight. Hey! Isaac! Stop pulling Leggy's hair! And Yami! Urm...Yami...put down the chainsaw! No! Yami stop it! Get away from the matches! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	4. Feeling are Revealed

I've got lots of reviews! I've got lots of reviews! YAY!

Leggy: Please don't. I have a massive headache.

Oh, sorry Leggy. How's your head?  
  
Leggy: Alright I suppose.

Isaac: I'm really sorry, Legolas. I didn't mean that fight to go so far.

Leggy: That's alright, as long as Yami is now where he belongs. A mental institution!

I told you! He isn't at a mental institution! He's in therapy.

Isaac/Leggy: Same thing.

Alright readers. I will now be commenting on your lovely reviews just to show I care.

Mercury Gold: Don't' worry, the little jokes are here to stay and I promise you, Mia won't die. I don't kill of the main characters. It's the other characters you've got to worry about!

Sorian: Thanks for your positive reviews and I'm glad you're a happy little reader. I know I'm mean to Mia and Isaac, but they're the main couple in the story so they're the easiest ones to be mean to. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of them both and mudshipping totally rules, but I've got to be mean to someone and Garet is just too easy.

Alright, on to the story folks!

Isaac: Oracle don't own Golden Sun so stop your worrying and enjoy the story.

**Feelings are Revealed**

"God Isaac, we'd better watch it or Garet will eat us too," exclaimed Ivan the next morning during breakfast.

Isaac had let Mia continue sleeping since she was obviously very tired so he filled the guys in on the details of last night himself.

Ivan had found the story rather strange and was as confused as Isaac, whereas Garet, delighted that the breakfast table they'd been led to was loaded down with his favourite thing in the whole world (food), had simply sat down and ate all the way through the conversation.

"Ha ha," he replied sarcastically with his mouth full of food. Swallowing, he gave his mates a sheepish grin. "Sailing out at sea for over a month made me really hungry."

"Garet," said Isaac in utter disbelief, "We had plenty of food supplies on the ship. Enough in fact to feed a small army!"

"Then again, we are talking about Garet here!" Garet glared at Jupiter adept who did nothing but grin back. Tucking in again, Garet nearly choked when the door to the dinning hall burst open as Mia entered. Ivan rushed to Garet's side to try and help while Isaac got up and pulled out a chair for Mia to sit on.

"Hey, are you ok?" He placed his hand gently on hers and looked into her amazingly blue eyes.

"Yeah, just tired I guess. I didn't sleep much. I kept having really weird dreams."

"What about?"

"I can't really remember, but I think they had something to do with you."

Isaac's gaze dropped to the floor as he too remembered the dreams he'd had the previous night. Both of their thoughts were interrupted when Ivan gave Garet one final slap across the back, dislodging the sausage that had been caught in his throat. It shot out of his mouth, bounced off the opposite wall and landed back on Garet's plate.

"Cool!" He picked the sausage up again with his fork and popped it back into his mouth.

"Garet! That's disgusting!" Ivan gave him his dirtiest look as he returned to his seat. With one look at his half finished breakfast, Ivan slumped back in his chair and pushed the plate away. "I've suddenly lost my appetite," he grumbled.

"Can I have it then?" Garet asked.  
  
"Yeah, knock yourself out."

But before he could pass Garet the plate, the door opened again and Lord Drake entered.

"Ah, I was hoping that you'd all be awake," he said cheerfully before setting his sights on Mia. "Miss Mia, how are you feeling today?"

"Fine..." she answered, slightly confused.

"Sorry Mia, we never introduced you. This is Lord Drake," said Isaac, "His men are the ones that found us after that incident with the Kraken."

"Oh, well it's good to meet you Lord Drake. I don't know how to thank you."

"No thanks needed. Just doing what any decent person would have done. Now, I must ask you about your quest. Is it true that you are trying to stop the Elemental Lighthouses from being lit?"

There was a profound silence as Lord Drake's words sank in.

"How do you know about that?" Isaac asked suspiciously.

"I have sources all over Weyard. Friends that keep me informed about the latest news, one of which happens to be Lord Babi."

"You know Lord Babi?"

"But of course. He told me of your quest and I took a personal interest in it. I mean, it's not every day that you meet warriors on such a dangerous yet noble mission. I want to help in any way I can."

Isaac, Mia and Ivan glanced at each other briefly, not sure what to make of this sudden information. Garet on the other hand nodded thankfully.

"That would be great Lord Drake; we need all the help we can get!"

"I will prepare fresh food for you as well as new weapons, anything you need, and I will do my best to get it for you. Now, if you'll forgive me, I have other business I must attend to."

He smiled and left the four adepts alone once more.

"I don't trust him," said Ivan as soon as the door closed.

"What?! He trying to be nice and you're suddenly all suspicious!" Garet cried, covering Ivan in a thin layer of spit and chewed up food. "Oh, sorry."

"Yeah, thanks Garet. But seriously. He knows way too much about the lighthouse business. I'm not so sure about this."

Garet simply shook his head.

"Ivan, you're just too suspicious full stop. I mean, in Vault, when we were trying to find your Shaman Rod, you were sure that every single person we met had done it."

"It's good to be suspicious."

"It's stupid to be so suspicious."

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

* * *

Unknown to them, Isaac and Mia had already left the hall and were making their way back to their shared room.

"Those two will never change," said Isaac cheerfully, trying not to meet Mia's all-powerful gaze.

"Yeah, but I'd never trade them of anyone or anything else."

"What? Not even for a new set of robes?"

"Don't tempt me!"

Laughing, they felt at ease once more, the memories of the past few days disappearing in their minds.

"You know, when this is all over, I hope that we'll still be around to be friends," Isaac muttered knowing that at some point on this quest, the others would be thinking exactly the same thing.

"Yeah," Mia answered, distractedly as they stopped outside the door to their room. "You know, when we enter this room, we'll have to get ready to set out again. Our journey will continue and we'll have to continue fighting. But what will fighting truly achieve? Death. Death and suffering. Though, I suppose we're doing the right thing. I just wish there was another way."

Isaac was amazed. He'd never heard Mia talk like this before. She suddenly seemed so angry yet upset, it almost made him want to pull her into his arms and relieve her pain. Unfortunately, the sensible side of him took over and he simply nodded then said, "I know. I only wish you, Ivan and Garet hadn't been caught up in all of this. It should have been my task and my task alone."

She was about to reply when a sudden chill traveled up both of their spines. Something was watching them, something unnatural yet the corridor they were in was empty. Shrugging it off as a draught, they entered the room and silently closed the door behind them.

Isaac turned back to Mia, thinking about what he could say to comfort her after the strange outburst while at the same time, Mia had turned to say something else. Suddenly, their lips met and they shared a passionate kiss, one both of them had been longing for, for a while. It lasted for less than ten seconds, but to them, ten years could have pasted by and they wouldn't have noticed.

Breaking apart, they both kept their eyes closed, sharing a secret smile for a moment longer until they came back to reality.

Not sure of what Mia's reaction would be, Isaac twisted around to leave the room while muttering, "Sorry Mia. I'll see you later."

"No Isaac! Wait!" She called after him, still slightly in a daze. He looked back at the beautiful girl who was beckoning to him. As he approached her once more, thoughts flew through his thoroughly confused mind.

_Did she enjoy the kiss? Did it mean as much to her as it did to me? Was this the start of something new?_

Mia sat down on her bed and he followed suit, feeling extremely self-conscience while he waited for her to say something. The tension in the room began to build as the silence continued.

"Isaac," Mia finally said in a very timid voice, her eyes darting from him to the ground and back again, "We've been on this journey for a while now and as you've probably guessed, something between us has changed."

"I've felt it too," he happily replied, feeling a bit more comfortable.

"Well, it's sort of...gosh, how can I say this?...Isaac, I think I'm falling in love with you."

Leaving this to settle in, she got up and went to look out of the window at the sea view.

"Ever since we first met, I felt a connection between us that has grown along with our feelings. You always looked out for me and protected me. Your shoulder was always there for me to cry on. Please say you feel the same way."

Isaac got up and joined Mia by the window. He held her head in his hands and they stared deeply into each other's eyes, all previous fears gone with the moment.

"Mia, I do. I love you so much."

Again, they merged in a kiss, so powerful and full of love, they never wanted to leave each other's arms again. Not even if the world crumbled around them. But when a knock came at the door, they were forced to separate. Savouring the last magical moments of the kiss, the couple smiled at each other, absorbed in each other's features, as if memorizing them. The knock came again and in entered Ivan and Garet, their faces pale and strained.

"Isaac, Mia," Garet said weakly, "They've found Jenna, Sheba and Felix coming out of a collapsed cave not far from town. They're fine, but Isaac, Kraden's dead!"

It took a mere second for Isaac to realize what Garet had said before he rushed out of the room with Garet, Ivan and Mia closely following him.

* * *

Ah, young love. There's nothing like it!

Isaac: I'll take back all the nasty things I ever said and did if you put more of those scenes in your story.

Leggy: Yes! I love romance! It's so beautiful!

I know. I'm truly a master of the mushy love scenes. I hope you lot all enjoyed it too. Well, that's it for now. Don't pick up your knives and demand a new chapter, click the review button and it'll happen faster. Asta la bye bye!


	5. One of Those Days

Ah, once again I have been bombarded with reviews. Thank you everyone!

Isaac: Yes, thank you. Sending her emails gives us time to escape before we have to do our muse duties.

Don't make me send you to therapy with Yami.

Isaac: NO! Anything but that!

Then shush. Now, to answer your reviews.

Sorian: Sorian...Sorian put down the knife! Don't come any closer! I have an adept and an elf! NO! NO! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, you seriously need to get out more, but please review my story again before you do. Thanks.

Lord Slasher: Urm...thanks, I think. Your review wasn't very clear. I not sure if you like my story or not. But, hey, a review's a review so thanks all the same.

Story time boys and girls. Now let me tell you a tale of stuff and things....

Leggy: Guess what. Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun and never will. Let's celebrate!

**One of Those Days**

Sheba's mind strayed through a strange world. It was so unlike her own yet strangely the same. The land was barren and destroyed by battle, any sign of foliage had long been terminated and there was no one around but her. Using her mental Jupiter powers, she tried to pick up any sign of life, hopefully something human, so she could ask it where she was.

Before she could even begin to concentrate, an enormous amount of energy coursed through her unsuspecting mind. It didn't hurt her, but she wasn't used to such a large amount of power. It drove her to her knees and reduced her to a quivering pile of clothes and flesh. Her hair covered her pretty face as she lowered her head onto the oddly warm floor. Taking a chance, she looked up through her layers of hair and was amazed to see a strange scene form before her.

Nine huge forces of energy transformed into the bodies of nine warriors were fighting in the air. As she looked closer, she recognized some of the warriors; one was definately Felix and battling beside him was Jenna, the group of four people she'd seen at the top of the Venus Lighthouse, a strange red-haired woman and herself. They seemed to be fighting a lone man who was surrounded by a blinding blue light. She was sure she knew this man, but the light around him distorted her vision and she had to close her eyes.

Sensing a change, she opened them again and gasped as tears flew freely down her face. The eight warriors were gone and in their place stood millions of people, ready to go to war. She knew they were adepts, she could sense their power even from such a distance away.

This was what would happen after they lit the final two lighthouses if they didn't stop the evil forces from getting their first, she knew it.

The image before her disappeared and the next thing she knew was she was sitting bolt upright in a small room. Sweat had dampened her golden hair and her breathing was heavy, but other than that, there was no evidence that she'd been in that other world apart from her memory.

It took her awhile to remember where she was until she recalled entering a town late last night and being escorted by several guards to a mansion who informed them that the lord of this unknown town wished to speak to them.

In the bed on her left, Jenna was sleeping soundly and through an open door to her right she could just see Felix, breathing gently. Everything was peaceful once more. Late morning sunlight streamed through a dust-covered window, covering the delicately carved furniture in the tiny room in a bath of golden light.

Sighing, Sheba thought about her short journey to the beautiful continent called Indra knowing with a heavy heart that they wouldn't be staying on for long. Their quest meant no stopping for anything. Lighting the lighthouses was much more important.

_Why did she have to be connected to all of this? That dream she'd had, was it a dream? Or was it a vision of the future that her developing powers had produced? _These thoughts confused her deeply and she sighed again.

"What's wrong Sheba?" asked a friendly voice.

Spinning around in her bed, she saw Jenna watching her from her own bed, awake at last. Sheba wasn't sure if she should tell Jenna about the dream. If it was real, they could all be in terrible danger and she couldn't let Jenna become worried if it was only a dream. She would bear the burden herself.

"Jenna, something's coming. I don't know what it is, but I do know it isn't good," she said simply.

Jenna was about to say something and Sheba knew it was something important, something she'd been wanting to say for a long time, when there was a loud noise from outside the door that led off down some unknown corridor. It sounded as if someone had run right into the door. The handle was turned roughly and in rushed a very familiar, odd couple.

"Isaac! Garet!" Jenna yelled happily, jumping out of bed to hug her old friends. Sheba smiled as the reunited trio shared hugs, questions and several punched to the head. She slowly turned her eyes to the floor. She had no one to rush to her, no one to pull her into a tight grip that comforted her. Only loneliness that she'd experienced since she'd been very young.

"Sheba?! Are you alright?" A small figure appeared in the doorway. She knew this was Ivan because she'd seen him before at the Venus Lighthouse. He'd tried to help her and for this she felt a rush of gratitude towards him.

He crossed the room and held her hands in his. Looking at her with his deeply intelligent eyes, he asked her the same question again.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied, smiling at his sudden protectiveness.

He blushed and let go.

"I don't know if you know, but I'm Ivan."

"I know."

Isaac and Garet broke their uncomfortable silence by dragging Ivan forward to introduce him to Jenna before doing the same to Mia. Soon, everyone was chatting happily about how they first met the others and what Garet was like as a child.

"Always there. He just wouldn't leave me alone. Then, he'd turn up suddenly looking rather scared and it turned out that he'd done something awful and got me in to trouble for protecting him!" Jenna complained while punching him gently in the arm. "Though, he was always able to make me laugh."

"That's our Garet," said Ivan.

"So, is it true? Has Kraden died?" Jenna and Sheba's eyes misted when Isaac asked the dreaded question. It was Jenna that finally answered though her voice shook when she did.

"Yes. We were staying in a cave not far from town and it collapsed while we were sleeping. There was nothing we could do. He was dead when we found him."

Ivan and Mia, despite the fact that they had never actually met the scholar, knew this was a sensitive subject and kept quiet while their friends thought back to the times they'd shared with their old teacher.

To their shock, a door leading out of the room was suddenly pushed open and Felix stood in the doorway, his eyes half open and his already messy hair sticking out at all angles.

"How can two girls make so much noise?" he asked, running his hand through his hair in a vague attempt to straighten it. He stopped the instant he saw the visitors.

"Morning Felix," said Jenna, very timidly while glancing at Isaac and Garet who were both eying Felix with looks of mistrust.

"Urm...hi. How did you guys find us so fast?"

"Well, we were in town and heard that a group of travelers had stopped here for the night, so we thought we'd investigate," Ivan explained since the others were too angry to answer.

"And you'd be?"

"Ivan."

Felix smiled at him weakly then turned back to his old friends.

"Well, it's great to see you again, Isaac, Garet. I really missed you guys."

"Is that all you can say?!" Garet's cry startled even himself. Jenna put her hand on his shoulder to calm him, but he shrugged her off and advanced menacing on her brother.

"What do you want me to say?"

"An explanation might be nice."

Felix sighed and sat down on the end of Jenna's bed. Unable to meet his friend's eyes, he gazed at the floor, not sure how to start.

"Well, I guess this whole this began after I was swept down the river that fateful night with my parents and your father, Isaac. After meeting you two when they'd escaped from the Sol Sanctum, Saturos and Menardi found the four of us and took us back to their hometown of Prox. Their plan had failed. They hadn't successfully stolen the stars, so they took us instead thinking that they could use us as hostages. When I woke up, Saturos knew I had some talent in the use of Psynergy and decided to train me as a warrior before taking me with Menardi back to Vale. We had no idea that you were going to be there. If we had, I would never have let them take Kraden or you, Jenna. I am eternally sorry for that. Can you forgive me?"

"I already told you," Jenna said, moving into her brother's arms, "I forgave you ages ago." They shared a smile before Felix continued.

"Well, as we traveled, I talked to Saturos who seemed more willing to share his plans than Menardi did. He told me why the beacons need to be lit. If they aren't, Weyard is doomed to be destroyed. Gaia Falls at the very edge of the world will corrode, the seas will rise and flood the world, and eventually, all the continents will shrink then disappear. We need to light them."

Isaac turned to his friends. Mia wore an emotionless expression, grabbed his hand and gripped it rather tightly. Ivan looked deep in thought, but kept glancing at Sheba which made Isaac think that he was using their mind powers to speak in private. Garet on the other hand retained the look of mistrust.

"Felix, are you sure?"

"Surer than I've ever been in my life. Kraden would probably back it up with facts and figures, but as he is no longer here, that the basic idea of what will occur." Isaac suddenly felt an urge of sympathy and trust towards Felix. He'd been kidnapped and forced to go along with this, and now he had to convince his friends that what they'd been doing was wrong and that they'd have to complete the work of those they were supposed to stop. It was a little too much for Isaac to handle.

"I...believe you Felix and I'll do everything in my power to help."

Garet was startled out of his silence to cry out at his friend.

"Isaac, are you crazy?! Felix comes along and sprouts a crack pot story about the world ending and you suddenly believe him?! After everything he put us through?!"

Isaac gravely looked Garet straight in the eye and nodded. Able to do nothing but gape, Garet sat down heavily on Sheba's bed with his head in his hands.

"Isaac. All that time ago, I swore to the town elder, my grandfather, your mother and you that I would do whatever it was that you decided to do, and to this day I've kept that promise." He looked up at his waiting friend and everyone else in the room. "I'm not about to break it."

"Does that mean..."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sticking with you."

Felix looked relieved and grinned at his sister who flung herself onto the bed beside Garet and hugged him.

"Oh! Thank you Garet!"

Next, Isaac turned to Ivan and Mia.

"What about you two?"

"I'll follow you to the ends of the earth, Isaac," Mia said simply, her eyes closed and a strained look on her face. Having been sworn to protect the Mercury Lighthouse from being lit, she found going against her word very difficult, but looking at the facts, she knew there was no other way.

Isaac gave her hand a grateful squeeze.

"I'm with you too, Isaac," said Ivan who was still looking at Sheba thoughtfully.

"Alright, at least we all agree on something. Know, does anyone know where the other two lighthouses are?" Garet asked over Jenna's shoulder.

"We do."

Everyone turned to see where the new voice had come from. Standing in the doorway that led further into the mansion were two figures. On the left stood a bulky man with broad shoulders that took up most of the doorway and a shock of flame red hair. Unusually, his skin seemed to be tinged green. The other figure was a girl, smaller than her friend, but looked just as dangerous. Her skin looked more reptilian than human and was tinged red. Her own red hair stood out around her face, which was contorted into a twisted smile. They both were decked in various kinds of armour and weapons, apparently ready to fight.

"Now, are you going to hand over the Jupiter and Mars stars, or are we going to have to take them by force?" the girl asked, flashing sharp teeth whenever she spoke.

"I don't think so!" Isaac and Felix both answered together.

"Then force it is," said the man while cracking his knuckles menacingly. They grabbed their weapons and prepared to strike.

* * *

YAY! The gangs back together!

Isaac: WHAT?!

What?

Leggy: What?

Isaac: You're just gonna end it there?!

Urm...yeah.

Isaac: Without having a fight?!

Yeah.

Isaac: I hate you!

Too bad. Next chapter, the fight and an unexpected journey. Review and it will come faster. Oh and Sorian, please send me reviews that say more than 'update soon' cause that's not really a review now is it. Au revoir!


	6. A New World

Yami: I'M BACK!

Great...that's just great. So, do you feel any better?

Yami: YES! I FEEL SUPER!

O...k. Why do you keep shouting everything?

Yami: BECAUSE IT'S NICE TO BE HEARD! HELLO ISAAC! HOW ARE YOU?!

Isaac: Fine, I guess.

Yami: YAY! HELLO LEGOLAS! HOW ARE YOU?!

Leggy: Please don't kill me!

Yami: OF COURSE I WON'T! I LOVE YOU!

(Grabs Leggy round the middle and hugs him tightly)

Leggy: I...can't...breathe!

Yami: OF COURSE YOU CAN!

I'm officially scared.

Sorian: Alright, I'm sorry for shouting. I'm grateful for every single review you send me. Keep them coming. Get ready for the fight, it's coming soon!

(Isaac: YAY!

Yami: WHAT?! VIOLENCE IS WRONG!)

GloomDrifter: Thank you! Your kind words have been a great confidence builder and I'm now ready to continue. YAY! My list of fans is growing!

Isaac: Oracle does not own Golden Sun and I'm now going to poke Yami with a stick.

**A New World**

With a roar that resembled that of a beast, the strange man ran forward with his sword drawn and shinning with fresh blood. Isaac, Felix and Garet met it head on as the others prepared their attacks. There wasn't much space in the room for anything major, but they still unleashed devastating moves. Sheba and Ivan clasped each other's hand then summoned a huge whirlwind that blocked the four warriors from sight. Jenna sent flame after flame into the cyclone, unsure of what she was actually hitting until it faded into nothing. Luckily, she hadn't hit one of the boys, but the man didn't look very hurt either. Mia stood by the side line, prepared incase anyone got badly hurt so that she could heal them. She watched her friends fight bravely, trying as hard as they could to send out attacks without destroying the mansion.

The man was able to block these attacks while continuing to drive the three boys back with unnatural strength. The woman stood silently behind him, concentrating very hard on something with her eyes closed. Thinking that she wouldn't be able to defend herself, Jenna shot a stream of flames at her, but the man simply flicked a wrist and blocked it with a wall of fire.

"KARST!" he yelled as he began to tire, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," was the immediate answer. The woman opened her eyes which seemed to burn with an inner flame. She put her hands out before her and smirked at the suddenly frightened teens.

"You will pay for killing my remaining family!"

A ball of fire began to form under her hands which continued growing as they watched it. The woman pulled it back and threw it through the air towards them. It contained so much power that the heroes were all paralyzed, unable to stop it.

A figure appeared quite suddenly in front of them, as if to protect them from the oncoming attack.

"TELEPORT!" cried a male voice and the vision of the fiery ball, the man and woman, and the small room disappeared from their sight, replaced by a silent blackness.

* * *

Dark shimmering lights surrounded the wounded figure on the floor. Eyelids flickered and two beautiful blue eyes stared up at the inky black sky above. Pulling herself up with much strain, Mia gazed around her. This place was new to her. Thick fog swirled before her, preventing her from seeing very far.

"Isaac?" she called out, taking a step forward and wincing as her whole body ached in pain. With a quick mumble of 'Ply', she moved forward much easier, searching for anything that would tell her where she was.

Her foot finally hit something on the ground, something large. Squinting, she knew it was definitely a human and most likely one of her friends if they two had ended up in this dismal place. She was sure in was a boy as she felt his muscular upper body. When she put her hand on a familiar scarf wrapped around his neck, she cried out in joy which quickly turned to a gasp as soon as she felt something sticky and thick all over his head and the ground surrounding him.

"Isaac...no! Please wake up!" she whimpered, shaking him gently. Holding her hands over his still body, she whispered, 'Ply' again. Light flowed from her fingertips and covered his body for a moment, revealing a dozen cuts in various places, before disappearing. The largest wound on his head wasn't bleeding anymore, but he was still unconscious and showed no sign of waking. Unfortunately, after whatever had happened, Mia felt extraordinarily weak and wasn't able to use Ply again.

She sobbed into his blood stained scarf, unable to do anything else and scared that the one who'd just revealed that he loved her was going to die.

"Help!" she cried out pitifully, "Someone, please help!"

But no one came. This made her cry even harder. Her tears mixing with the blood and flooded onto her own shaking hands. She looked all around her with tear filled eyes, searching for something, anything that might aid her in some way. Even the healer that had performed spells to cure life threatening diseases had failed. Her heart tore in two as she lay across her lover's chest, wanting to spend as much time as possible with him until the time came for him to leave her.

_This must be how Isaac felt when he thought I was going to die,_ she thought sadly.

Suddenly, two boys appeared out of the fog and rushed towards her.

"Mia!" they cried together, falling to the floor beside her. They took one look at Isaac's lifeless form and instantly knew why Mia was so distraught.

"Is he alright?" Garet asked, taking hold of Mia's hand and trying to force back his own tears. She looked up and sadly shook her head.

"He has a pulse," reported Felix who'd been inspecting Isaac. He placed his own hands over him and closed his dark eyes. "Revive."

A blinding golden light spread over Isaac and warmth rose up, comforting his grieving friends. Gradually, the wounds disappeared and the blood stains vanished. Mia smiled gleefully as Isaac's beautiful eyes opened and he looked up at her, utterly confused to why three of his friends were looking down at him.

"Urm...hi guys."

"Oh, Isaac!" Mia cried, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It's good to see you too. What happened? Where are we?" He sat up and looked into the thickening fog.

"Your guess is as good as ours mate," said Garet, trying hard to see past the greyness, "We've been walking around for ages. When we finally heard Mia calling out, we headed towards her voice and, well, you know the rest."

"Where ever we are, I know we're not alone," replied Felix, startling to others by his sudden statement.

_Felix feels it too? _Mia thought, giving him an odd look, _There's some presence coming from nearby, but I thought only I could sense it._ Feelings of gratitude and relief filled her mind now that she knew that it couldn't be her imagination if someone else could feel it.

"Really?" asked Garet. A questioning look appeared in his eyes, but he didn't really want to ask Felix anymore. He still felt rather suspicious of him and only half believed what he said.

Felix nodded thoughtfully. Isaac didn't seem to notice though. He was looking at Mia's face. It looked so unsure and afraid. He'd never seen her like this before. Usually, her smile lit up everything around her and her infectious laugher lifted everyone's spirits even in the middle of a battle. He gripped her hand which still lay by her side in her position on the ground. She turned to look at him and smiled happily, squeezing his back.

"We should get going. The others are still out there somewhere," Felix suggested suddenly, getting up off of the cold floor. He helped Garet to grab Isaac by his arms and hurled him up onto his feet. Using Garet as support, he tried moving forward. Although shaky at first, he managed to limp forward. His whole body still ached despite it being healed. Mia stayed by his side, trying to help and ended up putting her arm around his waist. He pulled her closer and, moving slowly, they walked off into the fog until they were no longer visible.

* * *

Gasping Ivan limped slowly through the drifting fog. He pressed his thick cloak around his hand to stop it from bleeding, but the cut was too deep and the cloak was already soaked. He had already searched for anything to heal himself with after discovering that he'd left his own stores of items back in the mansion.

His eyes shifted uneasily from the shrubs he saw by his feet to the rocks that were scattered all around to prevent him from tripping over them and falling, but everything around him was gradually becoming more and more blurred. He knew he'd lose a great deal of blood when he saw the wound he'd acquired during the fight before he'd been mysteriously transported to this depressing place. His whole hand had swollen and become a deep shade of red that matched his robe which was now covered with his own blood.

_I hope Sheba and the others are in a much better condition than I am, _Ivan thought, trying to take his mind away from the painful shocks that continuously shot up and down his arm.

Beads of sweat flowed down his face in rivers and as he stumbled through the wasteland his legs finally failed him. He tripped over a particularly large pile of rocks and fell flat on his face. Although it wasn't much of a fall, Ivan was in enough pain as it was and with a heart-wrenching cry, he slowly fell out of consciousness once more.

_At least Garet isn't here to see me give up so easily. _He smiled weakly and felt his eyes close. But before they did, a shadow appeared over him. A tall man with amazing blue hair that resembled Mia's which was wrapped in decorated head scarf, knelt down beside the injured adept. His long robes of a sailor type style fanned out around him as he placed a cool hand on Ivan's feverish head. He then muttered, 'Ply'. A silvery light surrounded Ivan and he felt an immense sense of relief before he fell into a deep, dream filled sleep.

* * *

_Slowly, Ivan sat up in a world of complete darkness. There was no light at all. He twisted and turned, trying to see any end to the black, but there wasn't any. To his surprise, when he turned back to face what was in front of him, a woman had appeared. She looked up when she saw Ivan stir and beamed at him._

"_Master Hama?" asked Ivan in a shocked voice, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you back at the Temple?"_

"_Because you must know the truth Ivan. It will aid you in your quest. Your powers are growing and it won't be long before you share the visions that Sheba has been having."_

"_Sheba?! You know where she is? Please tell me! And where am I anyway?"_

"_Sheba is close and don't worry, your questions will be answered soon. But now, you must listen. Please, do not interrupt or I may not be able to continue."_

_All Ivan could do was nod. He was thoroughly confused. Master Hama was in a strange world with himself for some unknown reason and she had some important information for him. Could his be the thing she was going to say before at the Lama Temple?_

"_Yes, it is Ivan."_

_Ivan gasped then realised that Hama could read his thoughts as easily as he could read hers._

"_Ivan, terrible things will happen in the near future. Things that will put all of your lives at risk. Only the two chosen ones can truly save all of Weyard, but remember that they will need help. Do not leave them to face the threat alone."_

"_I don't understand..."_

"_You will, in time. I must leave you now. Remember my words and good luck."_

_She turned to leave, but stopped when Ivan cried out. He struggled to his feet and placed his hand on her bare arm._

"_Master Hama, tell me. Why were you waiting for me? What's so special about me? I know we've met before."_

"_We have. I wasn't going to tell you until the end of your quest, but I suppose you want to know now. I'm truly sorry that I didn't tell you sooner."_

_Her eyes glowed a lilac colour and her hand went rigid as she placed it on Ivan's. Instantly, images began playing through his mind, each one brief, but so clear. He saw himself as a boy, playing with other children, helping to cut crops, hugging a man and woman, standing with a family that looked so familiar. The images passed as quickly as they came._

_Blinking several times to clear his clouded mind, Ivan looked back at Hama's sad face in complete confusion._

"_What...who...where..."_

"_Ivan, those where images of your past. Memories of mine that were also yours, but were erased years ago."_

"_Memories, does that mean...that was my family?!"_

_Hama nodded and took Ivan's hand in hers. He was surprised by the sorrow on her face._

"_The girl you saw was me, Ivan. I'm your sister and we are the last living members of our family. The last living members of the Jupiter Clan, Anemos. I've got to go Ivan. I know I should have told you sooner, I'm truly sorry."_

_Hama smiled weakly, and then walked away from him into the shadows before disappearing completely._

_Ivan just couldn't believe it. That was his family. And Master Hama was his...He ran after her, but only succeeded in losing himself in the gloom._

* * *

"Looks like we're alone again."

Jenna turned from the blazing fire before her to Sheba who she had found not long after arriving in the strange misty world.

Nodding but oblivious to what Jenna had just said, Sheba continued to stare thoughtfully at the soothing flames.

"Alright, I give," said Jenna suddenly, "What's wrong? You haven't said a word since we met up again."

Her expression had become curious yet concerned, all rolled into one, and Sheba knew that she wouldn't give up until she'd confessed. Spending so much time with her had told Sheba that much about her new friend.

"Before you found me, I tried to reach out to Ivan's mind using my psychic abilities. I had managed to pinpoint where he was when there was a surge of immense pain. The connection broke and I lost him. I think something terrible has happened to him."

Jenna was shocked to see tears rolling down Sheba's pale cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry. I'm sure he's alright. We'll find him tomorrow as well as the others. You'll see."

She wrapped her arms around her friend and began to wonder if Felix had suffered some sort of accident as well.

_NO! _she scolded herself, _I can't think like that! He's fine!_

"I never knew you felt that way about Ivan. When did this happen?"

Sheba shifted uncomfortably, breaking away from Jenna. She got up from the floor and took a few paces away from the fire.

"Well, ever since I met them at the top of the Venus Lighthouse, I felt a connection between Ivan and me. At first, I thought it was just because we were both Jupiter Adepts, but I think it might have been something else. When I fell, I had to use my last remaining psynergy to stop him from jumping after me with Felix. Then, while Felix was explaining the situation with the Stars to the others, he talked to me using Mind Read and told me about a dream he'd had which was the same one I'd had. We have so much in common, it's unbelievable."

"Wow! I had no idea. But what about Felix? I thought he liked you. I mean, he did jump off a crumbling lighthouse to save you."

"He only did that to protect me. When Saturos kidnapped me, Felix was against it from the start. He didn't want to bring anyone else into the situation so he made a promise to take care of me. After all he'd been through, he couldn't break another promise. I remember him saying that if he did this, you'd perhaps realize that he did care about someone other than himself and you'd forgive him."

"The big oaf! I've told him so many times already. He's forgiven."

The two girls shared a smile. Apparently, even Felix's own sister didn't know what went through his head.

"We'd better get some sleep. We've got a long walk ahead of us tomorrow," Sheba said, wrapping herself in her traveling cloak and curling up on the floor. Within minutes, she was asleep. Jenna looked up at the sky which, although may have shrouded in mist, contained stars that shone bravely through the fog.

_Maybe Felix is out there somewhere, looking at the same stars,_ she thought. Knowing she was no use tired, she lay down beside Sheba and was soon sleeping too.

* * *

Alrighty then! Chapter six written. Muses, report!

Leggy: I love romance, it's so sweet!Ivan and Sheba make a cute couple.

Isaac: Whatever. I say make more fight scenes like at the beginning! Swords clashing, magic blazing, hearts pounding with fear and adrenaline. That's what the readers want!

Yami:...

What about you Yami?

Yami:...

Leggy: Oh no! He's going to get his chain saw again! I just know it!

Yami: YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! STORY GOOD FOR YAMI!

I think those therapy sessions just backfired.

Isaac/Leggy: Ya think?!

Yami: CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!

I'm too old for this. Please review and don't kill me for hurting half of the Golden Sun cast. I can't help it! It's part of my nature!

Isaac: I don't mind, as long as it ain't me next time!


	7. A Better Understanding

HERE'S ORACLE! Onto the seventh (!) chapter of my oh so popular story.

Yami: I LIKE POINTY THINGS!

And Yami doesn't seem to have improved much.

Isaac: That is an understatement.

Leggy: OW! Yami! Stop poking me!

Yami: POKE! POKE! POKE!

At least he's found a hobby. Now, to talk to my fans.

Mercury Gold: I know you're my happy little reviewer as well, don't fret. Thank you for updating your equally good story, it's a keeper! Now, I don't want to go through the whole knives thing that I went through with Sorian so I'll just say this. Get 'em Yami!

Yami: ROAR!

GloomDrifter: I see you're a mudshipper too. YAY! I'm sure everyone knows who the mysterious man is who helped Ivan. I may have been a bit too obvious. Thanks again, you really make my day! (If I could, there would be a happy face right here )

Sorian: Please don't encourage my muses' behaviour; they should like all aspects of my story, those mini beings of all that is evil! I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, I didn't mean it, honest!

Leggy: OWW! YAMI! Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun. QUIT POKING ME!

**A Better Understanding**

_I wonder if Jenna is looking at the stars as well, _thought Felix. He lay on the hard floor, desperately trying to sleep, but he knew he never would in this creepy place. Next to him was Garet, snoring away as usual and a few feet to his right were Isaac and Mia, talking privately and occasionally sharing a loving kiss. These were his friends. But if that was true, why did he feel so alone, so isolated from everyone else?

A gust of silent wind caught an opening in the cloak he'd wrapped around himself and cut into his already numb skin. Though, this wasn't the reason why a shiver shot up his spine. He could feel a strange presence nearby. It felt like an adept, but wasn't anyone he recognized. It was similar to feeling he had felt when they had revived Isaac earlier that day. Something was watching him from within the shadows and he didn't even have to look up to know where it was. Instead, he slowly got up and pretended to search for something in his bag. He carefully stole a look into the gloom and met a pair of bright golden eyes.

Felix's instinct told him to be wary and as he stood up, his hand crept to the hilt of his trusty sword attached to his belt.

"Who's there?" he called out boldly, attracting the attention of Isaac and Mia. "Who's there?!" he repeated with a tone of anger in his voice.

"I am Piers," said a strong male voice. Out of the darkness appeared a tall man, wrapped heavily in long blue-green robes with a hood that obscured his face. Only his cat like eyes could be seen clearly. They seemed the pierce Felix's very soul making him feel very vulnerable.

"Piers?" Isaac asked, who'd come over with Mia to investigate, "I remember you. You were the one in Mia's room that night. You saved her life. How can we thank you?"

"No thanks needed," he assured them, giving Mia a kind smile which was returned. "I am here because I need your help. This is why I brought you here."

"You brought us here?!" Felix's anger was rising again. "Where's Jenna? And Sheba?"

"And Ivan?" Mia finished.

"Don't worry, if you follow me, I'll explain everything."

"I don't think so! How do we know we can trust you when you were the one who brought us to this God awful place?!" Felix asked, whipping out his sword defensively. He pointed it towards Piers causing Mia to gasp. Isaac took a step forward, not sure whether to help Felix or stop him, but Piers didn't even flinch at this threat.

"I know this must be frustrating for you, but you must trust me or you'll never get through this fog. I never meant for you to end up here. That was a mistake on my part. I underestimated the effect the journey would have on my powers. I'm very sorry for all this, but you see, you and your friends are my last hope. Lemuria's last hope."

Piers removed his hood, revealing the face of a young man, not much older than Felix, with beautiful long ocean-blue hair.

"Can we speak together in private for a moment?" Mia asked, trying to be polite to the kindly man.

"Of course."

She followed the boys back to where Garet still lay, oblivious to what had happened. As Isaac went to wake him, Felix replaced his sword and looked expectantly at Mia.

"Well? What did you want to say that couldn't be said in front of pretty boy over there?"

Ignoring Felix's comment, Mia waited until Garet had been filled in before she began to speak.

"I think we can trust him. He seems naturally worried and there was desperation in his eyes. We should help him."

"Also, he's an adept," Isaac interrupted, "He may have the same goal as us, to light the beacons."

"But what if he doesn't? What if he's in league with someone set out to stop us? Or those two back at the mansion?" Garet asked, joining in the dispute.

"He's not working with those two." Everyone stared at Felix.

"How do you know?" Garet glared at Felix. That feeling of suspicion was creeping back again.

"Because I know who they are. The woman, Karst, is Menardi's sister. I met her and her partner, Agatio, in Prox. I would have seen him if he'd had anything to do with their plans."

Once again, no one could believe what Felix had just told them. They knew he'd been to Prox, but not that he'd become friendly with the Proxians.

"Yeah and there is the fact that he saved Mia's life. Without him, she'd be dead," said Isaac, recovering from Felix's information. "If we can trust anyone in this place, it's him."

_But what if we can't, _Garet thought, _this could all be a huge trap._

"Well, I think we should be off then," he muttered, the doubt in his voice clearly showing, but his angry eyes and stiffly folded arms were enough to silence the others.

"Ok, Piers, we've decided to come with you," Isaac called out, twisting round swiftly to face the solitary figure.

Piers nodded and began to walk away into the fog. Isaac glanced at Mia who simply shrugged at the man's behavior before following him. Isaac turned and glanced at the other boys who still didn't seem too happy. He smiled at them then began to walk after the two blue haired adepts.

Garet didn't even bother to cover the growl coming from him and knew Felix felt the same way. He also knew he'd never trust Piers, but it might be the only way to find his missing friends so he didn't really have much of a choice. Grudgingly, he set off after them with Felix by his side, both of them glaring invisible daggers at Piers' back.

* * *

A strange noise echoed around an otherwise silent room. It didn't sound like a clock ticking or the dripping of water, but it continuously beat from close by. After several moments of thought, the listener realized it was his own heart.

Dawn's first light glowed on a distant horizon, spilling through an open window into a completely empty white room. The walls, floor and ceiling were of the purest white, it almost seemed to glow. In the very center was the only piece of furniture, a wooden bed covered with white covers with a small body hidden from view.

A murmur was emitted from deep within these silky covers then two eyes peered out at the world. They were Ivan's soft purple eyes and they were full of fear. Although this place was much better than the horrible world he'd previously been in, it was still strange to him and he was quite without his friends.

Shielding his eyes from the strong sunlight, he pulled away the sheets to find himself only wearing his undershirt and trousers. At a glance, his wounded hand looked red and sore, but for some reason, it no longer hurt him and it wasn't bleeding. He twisted his hand in the light and found only a long pale scar as a reminder to not play with a fire adept or he'll get burned.

He got up, still pondering over his hand and put his clothes back on. They'd been freshly washed, dried and placed on the end of the bed, ready for him to wear. Even his Crystal Rod and replacement Psynergy Rod had been cleaned as well as his armour. It was all too much for him. Whoever had brought him here was obviously taking good care of him.

Putting on his robes and protective armour he wore under his clothes, he grabbed his rod and carefully opened the huge wooden door at the other side of the room. It led out onto a corridor that seemed to stretch out a fair distance in both directions with hundreds of doors leading away. Luckily for Ivan, a guard was standing by his door and he snapped to attention upon seeing Ivan.

"May I be of service to you, sir?"

"Urm, yeah, could you take me to whoever brought me here?"

"I'm sorry, but Sir Piers is currently away. I can take you to his uncle, Lord Avon."

"Fine, lead away."

The guard raised an eyebrow at the young adept before marching off down the corridor with Ivan nearly running to keep up.

For nearly half an hour according to the sun, which shone through the glass roof above them, the pair walked down the everlasting corridor, passing more doors than Ivan could count, but never changing the direction they walked in. Ivan's legs were aching and he was once again damp with sweat as the sun shone directly onto his unprotected neck. The heat made the trip even more unbearable making Ivan wish that he hadn't even woken up that morning which seemed so long ago now.

Finally, the guard stopped by a door that was much more beautiful and better decorated than the rest. He indicated at it before going back the way he'd come, leaving Ivan on his own again. He crept slowly towards the door where he heard voices coming from within. Although the huge door muffled the voices, there was a note of urgency in the words.

Taking a nervous breath, Ivan tapped lightly on the door. The voices instantly stopped and footsteps were heard coming towards him. With a loud creak, the door opened and a middle aged man looked out.

Some would say that this was a very handsome man. His long blue hair cascaded down his back and over his broad shoulders. His young face hid his real age as it was full of liveliness as well as wisdom. His deep green eyes looked Ivan up and down, a smile appearing on his face.

"You must be Ivan," the man said, his voice friendly, "Please, come in, we have much to discuss." He held the door open and Ivan entered the room. Like the other room and the corridor, it was void of any colour and contained nothing except three white cotton covered chairs in the center. In one of them sat a vaguely familiar man. He had short white hair, streaked with silver and grey, and sat in loose fitted robes of an earthy brown colour. Despite his old age, he also had a great deal of knowledge evident on his weather worn face.

"Hello Ivan. I am Lunpa."

"Lunpa?" Ivan repeated, trying to recall where he'd heard that name before. "Oh! Lunpa the noble thief. Father of Donpa."

"That is correct. You have met my son?" Lunpa asked, taking his time to form each word he spoke.

"Briefly yes. I traveled to the town Lunpa to rescue my adoptive father, Master Hammet, from Dodonpa who'd kidnapped him."

"Ah, yes. I recall hearing about that. I'm very sorry for my Grandson's actions."

"It's alright. It all worked out in the end."

"Good, good. I expect you'll want to know why you're here."

"That would be nice."

Lunpa looked up at the other man who moved away from his position by the door.

"I believe I'll answer that for you," he said, indicating to one of the empty chairs.

Ivan sat down eagerly, desperate to know what was going on and where his friends were.

"This is Lemuria, city of water and time. The reason you're here is because we need the power you and the combined might of your friends have. My nephew, Piers, brought you all here using the ancient power of Teleport. Unfortunately, the enchantments and Psynergy that protect this city affected his own psynergy so you all got separated before actually reaching the city. You ended up in the wasteland to the south which deters travelers from reaching our sacred haven. We never expected that to happen though and we're truly sorry about your injury."

"That's ok, I'm alright now," he assured the man while tracing his finger over the smooth scar that still remained on his hand. "I'm just glad that we've finally found Lemuria. So, urm..."

"It's Lord Avon."

"Lord Avon, do you know where my friends are?"

The two men glanced at each other, the tension in the room building.

"What? What's happened?"

"Piers has found four of your friends, Isaac, Garet, Mia and Felix, but the other two appear to be lost deep within the endless fog."

"No..." Glad he was sitting down, Ivan felt as if his insides had been torn out.

_Not Sheba..._

His fists lay clenched on the arms of the chairs as he desperately fought back his tears.

A loud knock interrupted their conversation and the guard who'd led Ivan to this room entered.

"My Lord. Sir Piers is close to the palace and wishes for you to meet him by the palace doors."

"Were there others with him? Please, tell me!" Ivan commanded, the desperation rising in his voice as he jumped up out of the chair.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know. I just received the message and delivered it," the guard confessed.

"It's alright Ivan. We'll go together," Lord Avon said, smiling at the young boy. "Lunpa, if you could please wait here, I'll speak with you after attending to my new guests."

They said their goodbyes then Lord Avon and Ivan, accompanied by the guard, walked back up the hot corridor with Ivan sighing in displeasure.

* * *

"I hope this fog clears up soon, it's getting on my nerves!"

Jenna hadn't stopped complaining all morning as she walked along with Sheba trying to get out of the fog. The sunrise had been glorious and the day had seemed so clear until the thick mist had appeared and everything had dissolved into a sea of grey nothingness.

Sheba had become very quiet again and hadn't said a word since she'd woken up.

"What's up with you Sheba? You're never usually this quiet."

"Uh-huh." Sheba continued walking with her eyes half closed, completely ignoring Jenna.

"SHEBA!" Jenna yelled. She hated being ignored and although Sheba was her friend, she wasn't going to take it. "Hello?! Anyone home?!"

Yet Sheba still seemed unaware of Jenna's presence. Her mind was hundreds of miles away and she wasn't ready to come back.

"SHEBA!" This time, Jenna shook Sheba's shoulders, slightly scared by her silence. Sheba simply opened her green eyes and pushed her golden locks out of her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, unaware that anything out of the ordinary had happened.

"I could ask you the same thing, what's with you?" Jenna cried. "You totally zoned out. You wouldn't answer me and your eyes were tightly closed."

Sheba looked at her curiously.

"I was using Mind Read to try to contact Ivan; you've seen me do that before."

"But this was different!" Jenna exclaimed, "I felt a powerful vibe surrounding you."

"Well, that was the first time I almost reached him which I'd never done before. He was just out of reach and I was going to speak to him until **someone **knocked me out of my state of mind."

"I'm sorry Sheba, I didn't...OWW!"

Not looking where she was going. Jenna had accidentally walked into something very solid. She wiped the blood out of the corner of her mouth and used her hand to find out what she'd hit. It appeared to be an enormous wall. Looking up, the girls saw the very top above the fog. It was covered in flags of every shade of blue which danced happily on an invisible breeze.

"Looks like our best bet is to climb it. There's no way of knowing how far it goes."

Sheba gulped at Jenna's words. She'd never been much of a wall climber which was evident by her incident at the Venus Lighthouse.

"Do you have an Earth Djinn?" Jenna asked.

"I think so. Felix gave me one before that fight." Sheba quickly searched through her bag and pulled out a small golden ball. It jumped up and became a small, very excited, brown creature. She passed it to Jenna who unleashed her new power by saying, 'Growth'.

A long vine began to grow out of the ground and rapidly flew up the wall until it attached itself firmly to the top.

Knowing it would be a tough climb for the Wind Adept; Jenna smiled at her and allowed her to go first. When Sheba was high enough, Jenna pushed her own fears aside, gripped the rubbery stem and began to climb after her.

* * *

What do you think?

Isaac: Hehehe! I got to kiss Mia!

Yami: Nope, can't think of a thing! BOUNCEY, BOUNCEY, BOUNCEY!

Leggy: GET HIM AWAY FROM ME!

Big help you guys are! Sorry for this chapter not being that interesting, but I had to do the annoying explaining bit. Next chapter will be better. I'm introducing my new characters and beginning the evil plot! MWAHAHAHA! (COUGH, COUGH!) Note to self, practice evil laugh! Review, or else!


	8. A Teary Reunion

HI EVERYBODY! Welcome to another edition of Oracle's greatest story, Golden Sun: Legends of Lemuria. As an added note, I feel obliged to say, IT'S THE LAST BIG BROTHER TONIGHT! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isaac: You actually watch that?!

But of course.

Leggy: Why did Stu have to leave?! I miss my Chicken Stu!

All: ......

Leggy: Oh...I mean, I miss Michelle, she was a babe! Yeah!

O...k, worried about the sexual preferences of my muse now.

GloomDrifter: Once again, thanks. I know I keep making mistakes, but doesn't everyone? My spell and grammar check is permanently set on English (U.S) which might have something to do with it.

Mercury Gold: You'll have to wait and see, but I guess you won't have to wait that long since you're reading this story, aren't you? You'd better!

Sorian: No more sugar for you. I promise, cross my heart and hope to die, that I will never insult you again. I like your evil laugh by the way. Very sinister.

(NOTE FOR ALL REVIEWERS: I can't help notice that you wish to know my secret of the fast update. I wouldn't normally tell anyone this, but as you lot are sooo special, I'll tell you.

Number one: It is summer holiday so I have much more time on my hands than I normally would; getting it off is the tricky bit. HAHAHA! Comedy, gotta love it!

Number two: I have already written out most of my story on paper so that I can adjust and rewrite in on my computer if necessary.

Number three: My nickname is Billy-No-Mates so I have spent the past week doing this and nothing else. Yeah, I'm sad.)

Yami: Oracle own not Sun Golden.

**A Teary Reunion**

The fog had cleared as a group of five travelers arrived at the entrance into a huge city, surrounded by an enormous wall. The heat of the afternoon sun burnt their necks and shoulders through their clothes, and sweat ran down their faces and necks.

The man leading the group stopped in front of the gate causing the younger red-headed boy to crash into his back.

"What's going on?"

"We're here," Piers said in an all knowing voice that made Garet and Felix roll their eyes and glare.

Isaac simply chuckled at his friends' behaviour and moved closer to Mia. Even in the heat, the heavenly glow that surrounded her and gave hope to others remained. She looked at him with those aqua eyes and grinned.

"What?"

"Can't a guy just gaze loving at a girl?"

"Well, I guess you can, but I draw the line at drooling!"

They grabbed each other's hand and continued to smile. Repressed fits of giggles came from Garet's general direction and Felix looked slightly amused. Piers, on the other hand, seemed unaware of his companions as he placed his bare hand on a carved panel to the left of the gate. There was an earthshaking groan before the gates slowly opened.

"This is Lemuria," Piers announced proudly as he walked through the opening into the beyond.

They stood at the edge of a bustling city. It was full of tall white, church-like buildings with pale roofs made of the finest glass that reached up high into the air and all looked very ancient. Colorful banners flew from the top of each structure and a huge castle loomed above it all. At the heart of the village square sat a large fountain flowing with crystal clear water. Many of the people walking about the streets had blue hair like Piers, and their garments were elaborately embroidered with silver and gold thread.

"Wow!" Isaac gasped, utterly amazed by the beauty of it all.

"This is Lemuria?! So, what was that place we've just been walking through?"

"Don't worry Garet, all will soon be revealed," said a voice to their right.

They turned to see a man standing next to one of the smaller buildings on the outskirts of the city. His wild blue hair and handsome face bore some resemblance to Piers'.

Behind him, a younger figure stood, quivering with excitement. A bright smile glowed on his face as he looked at the group.

"Oh Ivan! You're alright!" cried Mia happily, sweeping him into her arms like a mother would.

"Mia! I...can't...breathe!" he gasped, struggling against her strong grip, but happy all the same.

As soon as she let go, Garet came up to him and gave him a friendly slap on the back that sent Ivan down onto his knees.

"Good to see you," he said, helping him up again with an almighty tug, "Sorry about that."

"It's alright." Ivan gave his strong friend a weak smile as he rubbed his painful back and throbbing arm.

Finally, he turned to Isaac and Felix who both grinned at their recovered team mate.

"Are you alright?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Never better. I quite enjoy traveling between different world, nearly killing myself in fog and being slapped by a would be friend when we met up again."

Garet laughed nervously as Mia glared at him.

"Is Sheba here?" Ivan asked, looking around curiously.

"Ivan, I didn't know you cared so much about her!" Garet laughed; unaware that his friend's face had fallen when he saw that she wasn't.

"We haven't seen her or Jenna," Felix explained, a similar look of sorrow on his own face.

"Well, let's just hope they're together. Anyway, Jenna's always been able to look after herself," Isaac replied confidently.

A hand suddenly fell on Ivan's shoulder in a some what comforting way.

"It would be best if we went back to the palace now Ivan," the older man said, receiving a questioning glance from Mia and the boys. "Oh, how rude of me. My name is Lord Avon, Piers' uncle and brother of King Hydros, current ruler of Lemuria. There is a teleportation circle nearby if you'd follow me. It's much faster than walking."

The group slowly began walking into the busy city, passing many people on their way that all looked at the visitors in interest. Everyone was silent as they stepped onto a circle made up of different runes and symbols. Piers stood in front of everyone and held up a small dark blue stone. He said the word, "Teleport", and the markings on the floor lit up with a golden light. It felt as if their bodies were being absorbed into the wind. They split up and disappeared leaving the site empty as if nothing had happened.

* * *

"Sheba! Don't let go!"

High up on the walls that surrounded the mysterious city of Lemuria, voices echoed in the growing wind and dark fog.

"I won't! Try to grab my other hand!"

A figure swung in the howling wind as she hung from the stone bricks.

"I can't hold on!"

"Just reach!"

Jenna's feet scrapped along the rough rock while she frantically tried to climb back up.

"Just a little further!"

"I CAN'T!"

Jenna's grip was loosening around Sheba's wrist and her other arm couldn't find anything to hold onto.

"Jenna, listen to me! You can do this!"

"I'm sorry Sheba."

With a last burst of strength, she whipped her hand away from Sheba and began to fall.

"NO! JENNA!"

Sheba's hand reached out as if to catch her but there was nothing left to grab. As a last desperate attempt, she cried out, "CYCLONE!" Fuelled by emotions, a huge hurricane appeared and descended into the darkness at a terrific speed. It was gone for no less than five agonising seconds before it rose back up, pulling a startled but otherwise unhurt Jenna along with it.

"Jenna! Are you Ok?"

The cyclone carried Jenna to the battlement at the top of the wall and placed her next to Sheba before disappearing in the wind.

"I'm fine. Thank you so much! I would have died if it hadn't been for you!" Jenna cried. She was still shaking as she wrapped her arms around Sheba. Shocked by this, Sheba took a step back, but then leaned into the hug and comforted her friend to the best of her abilities.

"We'd better get under some shelter, there's a storm coming," Sheba finally managed to say, nervously eying the pitch black storm clouds that were heading their way. The weather seemed to be constantly changing in this strange world making it difficult for even the young Jupiter Adept to predict what would happen.

"HALT!" A figure appeared out of the shadows the battlement contained with his gloved hands held up. The girls didn't even have a chance to react before the psynergy hit them, immobilising them. All they could do was watch as two other men followed the first, all of them wearing thick metal armour and their long blue hair waving wildly around their handsome faces.

"Come with us," said the second guard as the other two released them from the psynergy and wrapped strong ropes around their wrists.

Knowing that resisting them would be stupid, the girls did as they were told and quietly followed the men along the battlements and into a small tower. Before they did, Jenna was able to make out a massive castle, towering above them and knew that they would have a hard job trying to escape this time.

As they entered, the first drops of rain hit the floor and thousands followed. Inside the tower, the noise was deafening and by the time the group had reached a set of spiral staircases leading down into the castle itself, Jenna had a headache that constantly beat against her skull and Sheba's ears were ringing.

The stairs seemed to last forever and weren't the last ones. They descended four more stair cases and each time they reached the bottom, they were able to catch brief glances at the corridors. The first was decorated with extravagant carpets and wall hangings, but as they went further and further down, the furnishing changed, becoming much duller and badly kept.

Finally, the guards took a left at the bottom of a stair case and led them down a passageway until they ended up in front of a dingy prison cell which Jenna and Sheba were roughly pushed into.

"You will stay here until Lord Avon decides what to do with you," one of the guards roared over the girls protests.

Leaving them in the filthy cell, the guards walked back towards the stairs.

Quite suddenly, Jenna laughed.

"Sheba, look! They haven't even got a door for this cell!"

She walked straight towards the opened they'd just been pushed through then stopped. Sparks were crackling all along the walls and shot out at Jenna's body, forcing her back into the cell.

"Jenna?! Are you Ok?"

Jenna laid motionless on the floor, sparks still flying up off of her body and when Sheba came close enough, they shot up at her fingers.

"Jenna?" she whispered again, carefully placing her fingers on Jenna's pale neck. There was still a pulse. Gasping at the shark shock of psynergy, Sheba pulled Jenna over the floor and propped her back against the wall.

Jenna opened her eyes weakly and turned to Sheba's surprised face.

"Why does this sort of thing always happen to me?"

Almost laughing, Sheba shrugged her shoulders.

"Same reason it usually happens to me, I guess."

Jenna coughed heavily, her breathing coming out in short, rasping bursts. She moved her arm to get herself more comfortable and gasped.

"Oww! Won't be trying that again in a while."

She lifted her arm more slowly this time and said, "Healing Aura". Red light surrounded both her and Sheba, but faded quickly.

"My...psynergy...I can't....heal myself..."

With no energy left, she rested her head against the brick wall and fell into unconsciousness.

As a last resort, Sheba used Mind Read again to reach out to Ivan, but found herself becoming very dizzy.

_The barrier on the cell, it must be absorbing my psynergy,_ she thought. Her whole body was growing weaker and she too ended up slipping onto the floor beside Jenna and allowed the weariness to take over.

* * *

The instant that the sparkling orbs appeared on the castle's primary teleportation pad, a guard was waiting for them by a nearby door.

"Lord Avon, not long ago, the guards on the Eastern Battlement caught two thieves trying to break into the castle. They're adepts as well."

"I understand," Lord Avon replied, turning to the adepts, "If you want, you can stay in one of the meeting rooms until I'm back."

"Thank you Lord Avon," Isaac said, "I think we could all do with a rest."

The others nodded, each of them looking rather tired.

"There's an empty room at the end of that corridor," Lord Avon said, pointing in the direction of another completely white corridor, "Piers, if you could show them the way?"

"Of course."

Splitting up from Lord Avon and the guard, the group of six headed towards the said corridor.

"Ivan? Are you coming?" Garet asked, stopping to turn back to his friend.

Ivan didn't move. He remained as still as a statue. His eyes were unfocused and Garet recognised this as the trance Ivan went into when using Mind Read.

"It's Sheba," he said, looking up with eyes that were full of fear, "She's close and...something's wrong. Her psynergy is very weak; I can hardly sense her...She'd gone!"

Ivan turned to Lord Avon who'd heard the trouble and had walked back towards them.

"I think she's in the castle."

"Then I believe we have found the identities of the 'intruder'. Follow me."

Garet, Ivan and Felix quickly followed him and the guard down a different corridor and deeper into the castle. Mia had decided that Isaac was still too weak and refused to let him go with them although he continuously stated that he felt fine. Piers led the two to the meeting room instead while the others went to investigate.

Half an hour of constant walking finally led the group to the darkest passage way they'd come across yet. It was a huge contrast to the white halls higher up in the castle and created a very depressing feeling. The only light came from flaming torches that hung from brackets along the stone walls.

"I can't stand it down here," Ivan whispered, "It gives me the creeps."

"I know what you mean," Felix muttered back.

As they continued to walk, it became darker and colder. Cells appeared along their left hand side, damp, dirty yet empty cells. Felix began to shake from fear and the intense coldness. With every passing moment, he felt more and more nervous. He hardly knew this 'Lord Avon' person and following him gave him the idea of walking into his own prison cell.

"These are the prisoners," said a second guard who'd been patrolling in front of one of the cells. He pointed at the two figures that were slumped at the back of the cell. "You two, wake up! Lord Avon wished to speak to you!"

He unlocked the force field door and moved towards the unmoving people.

"I said WAKE UP!"

Now nervous too, the guard bent down and shook one of the prisoners by the shoulders, but they still didn't stir.

"Lord Avon, they're unconscious!"

"Out of the way!" yelled Felix, pushing past Ivan to rush to their sides, "Revive!"

Light lit up the dark cell and surrounded the two people. Life flooded back into them and the smaller one stirred then woke up.

"Mmm...who's that?" asked a female voice.

"I'm Felix, are you Ok?"

"Yeah, I think so. But my friend isn't. She touched that force field and got shocked. Will she be alright?"

"Don't worry, I promise to look after her."

"Wait...Felix? Ivan? Garet? It is you!" the girl suddenly cried with joy. With Felix's help, she got up and limped out of the shadows. Her short blond hair hung limply around her face and her once beautiful robes were dirty and torn in places, but that bright sparkle in her jade eyes assured them that it was Sheba.

"Oh, thank the elements!" Ivan yelled as he rushed into the cell and hugged the smiling girl tightly, "I thought something awful had happened to you!"

"And I thought something had happened to you!"

"Well, something did," he admitted, showing her the scar on his hand, "But I'm fine now that I know you're safe."

Garet was grinning almost evilly, trying to memorise each for moment for future blackmail, but the smile faded when he caught sight of Felix. His face was white and his eyes were bulging with fear as he stared at the second figure on the floor. It took a while for Garet to connect the dots.

"Jenna...JENNA!" he cried. His feet barely touched the floor as he pushed past the guard and ran to his life long friend's side. Her body stayed limp when he sat her up in his arms. His tears fell on her cold skin which glimmered in the flickering fire lamps outside the cell.

"I never knew he liked her that much," Ivan whispered to Felix.

"He'd better not!" Felix growled angrily, moving over to Jenna and Garet with a scowl on his face. He knelt down beside them and began to use Potent Cure.

"What's with him?" Ivan asked.

"He's her brother and is very protective," explained Sheba, "Garet may be an old friend, but no one is good enough for Jenna in Felix's eyes. You should have seen him when Alex tried to kiss her."

They turned back to Jenna just in time to see her eyes open.

"Sheba? What happened...Felix? How'd you get here?"

"That doesn't matter now; we just need to get you out of here."

With Garet's help, despite the unfriendliness between them now, they lifted her up and took her back up the stairs to the room Isaac, Mia and Piers had disappeared into. Ivan opened the door and looked at Isaac with a grin on his face and Sheba in his arms.

"Hey, good to see you Sheba, Jenna. I guess you two were the 'intruders'."

Mia and Piers looked up from their conversation and moved to allow Felix and Garet to place Jenna on one of the chairs in the room. Rubbing their aching backs, the two boys sat in the two chairs surrounding her.

"What's wrong with you two?" she asked.

"I don't remember you weighing so much before, Jenna."

"GARET!" Whacking him with a cushion, she couldn't help but grin at his innocent face.

Everyone else sat down in one of the other chairs and looked expectantly at Lord Avon who'd been waiting for them to finish.

"Well, now that all eight of you are together, I can explain. To those who don't know, I am Lord Avon and you are currently in Lemuria."

"Lemuria? But how did we all get here in the first place?" asked Jenna.

"Piers was able to find you in that inn in Daila where you where being attacked by the Mars Adepts and used his psynergy to bring you here. Unfortunately, the ancient spells protecting this city affected his psynergy, splitting the group up and causing you to end up in the fogs that surround Lemuria."

"What's with that fog anyway?" Garet interrupted.

"If anyone but a Lemurian is able to get to the city, they are transported to the wastelands surrounding Lemuria where the fog appears which is impossible to get through. Now, about your quest..."

A loud knock interrupted Lord Avon and a young guard entered.

"My Lord," he announced, "There are three people here to see you. They say it is of great importance."

"Ah yes, my other guests. Please, let them in."

A murmur travelled throughout the group.

"What other guests?" Garet whispered to no one in particular.

Three people had already entered the room though stopping anyone from answering without being heard.

One was a very beautiful girl. Her long red hair, a much bolder shade than Jenna's, cascaded down her back, surrounding her shoulders that bore a sleeve-less shirt of a fuchsia colour. A magical aura surrounded her; even her eyes that were a pale chestnut sparkled with power. With her head held high, she grinned at everyone and waved a greeting.

The second girl was almost the complete opposite. Obviously younger, she looked more boyish with her tan tunic and blond hair cut short like Sheba's. She had the same colour eyes as the other girl, but her skin was much darker than anyone they'd seen before. She had a bow and a set of arrows strapped to her back as if she was ready for a battle. She even had a short sword sheathed at her side. Again, she looked very confident as she gazed at the occupants of the room, but showed no signs of greeting.

The last person was a small boy who seemed very interested in a spot of light on the floor and blushed a deep red as he felt the attention of the room move to him. He was unusually short and much too young to be hanging around with the two girls. It seemed that he wanted nothing more than to disappear. His cute black hair curled around his sweet face with still burned with embarrassment. He wore much plainer clothes than the girls which were way to big for him. His hands were hidden under long sleeves and his feet couldn't be seen at all.

Isaac gazed at the boy curiously and found himself looking at the end of his sleeves. Something was shinning from underneath where his hands should be. Before he could look closer, the boy had hastily pulled his hands further inside the fabric then gave Isaac a frightened glance. But Isaac was sure that there was something else hidden in his eyes, something like hatred, maybe even loathing. He was forced to remember the dream he had. This boy slightly resembles the person with the metal chest who had taken Mia away from him.

"These are Trinity," Lord Avon said, first pointing at the red-head, "Alicia and Max," he finished pointing at the other girl, then the boy. "They are the last known users of the hidden psynergies."

"New psynergies? I didn't know there were any other than fire, wind, earth and water," said Ivan.

"They are now very rare. They are the only ones in the world who can use them. They are Psy, Life and Metal. Trinity is a user of Psy, Alicia, Life and Max is a Metal user."

"That good and all, but what has that got to do with us?" Garet asked bluntly.

"They are the keys to lighting the final two lighthouses."

"You know of our quest?"

"I have know of it for a long time, Felix. If you want to rescue your parents and take them away from Prox, I suggest you'd accept their help."

"But...our parents died." Jenna looked at Felix. "Didn't they? Felix?"

"Jenna, no one died that night. Mum and Dad are being held in Prox until I am able to light the final two lighthouses. As well as your father Isaac."

Isaac nearly fainted. His father was alive? After all this time?

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"I was going to, but we were interrupted by those two Mars Adepts."

"May I please continue?" asked Lord Avon patiently. Jenna, Isaac and Felix nodded. "It has come to my attention that an evil force has entered Lemuria in disguise and wishes to harness the unstoppable power of the Golden Sun."

"The Golden Sun?"

"The form Alchemy will take when all of the lighthouses have been lit. At the top of the Jupiter Lighthouse, when its beacon is alight, the Leaders of each element will be revealed and it will be their job to protect the Golden Sun when it rises."

"Whoa! Leaders of the Elements?"

"There will be seven Elemental Leaders which will be granted new powers to protect the Golden Sun from all that want its power. They will be the ones to stop the evil force. This is why you'll need Trinity, Alicia and Max. Being the last of their element's users, there is no doubt that they will be three of the Elemental Leaders."

"Ok, I'm officially confused," Garet admitted, shaking his head in dismay.

"There's a surprise," said Felix.

"It would be best if you all got some sleep. Don't worry; rooms have already been prepared for you. In the morning, I will take you to the Jupiter Lighthouse where all will be revealed."

Lord Avon ushered them all out of the room, their heads literally buzzing with this new information. The group grew smaller as they split up and entered their separate rooms until only Isaac and Mia were left. They opened their door and were shocked by the beauty of the room. Although the colour was still mainly white, there were several other furnishings inside. Two small beds stood side by side with a table to one side which held a lit candle. Twin chairs sat under an open window and a cupboard stood in the corner. A second door led off next to the cupboard into a tiny marbled bathroom.

"Oh wow!" Mia gasped, gazing around in wonder, "It's beautiful."

"I know," said Isaac, but he wasn't looking at the room. He twisted her around so that they were staring into each others eyes. He gently pulled her close before they kissed again.

Mia was in heaven. Paradise. Everything was perfect as long as she was with Isaac. They parted and continued to stare at each other.

"I love you," Isaac whispered.

"And I love you," answered Mia. The last rays of sunlight visible from the window disappeared from sight, plunging the white city into darkness. Only the small flame dancing on the candle wick remained to repel the shadows.

Mia vanished into the bathroom to undress while Isaac did the same. When she returned, he was already in bed, wearing his shorts and thin shirt. Mia moved across the room and slid under the silky covers of the second bed. Isaac couldn't help staring at her from his own bed until he couldn't take it. He got up and slipped under the covers with her, wrapping his arm around her waist. She stiffened for a second then snuggled into his chest.

"What would happen if we lose this fight and I lose you?" she asked, her face displaying the anxiety that had begun to build up ever since the speech Lord Avon had given.

"You'll never lose me," he replied, holding her hand in his, "We're going to be together forever. It's destiny."

He felt her radiant smile and smiled to himself while running his free hand through her smooth hair.

"I promise."

* * *

Leggy: (SNIFF) It's...so beautiful.

I know. I'm getting good at this.

Isaac: (SNIFF) Thank you so much! I love being with Mia. She's so beautiful.

Yami: Ewww! Mushy stuff!

Can't please everyone I suppose. Reviews from Mudshippers appreciated. See you next time!


	9. The Jupiter Lighthouse

Guess who? Yeah, it's me once again. Ready for the next chapter? Of course you are!

Leggy: I'M READY!

Aww! Who's a cute muse?! You are! Here's a cookie!

Leggy: YUM YUM!

Isaac/Yami: Where's my cookie?!

Outside. Go fetch.

Isaac/Yami: YAY! (Run out of the door)

(Click) Oh, look at that. I have 'accidentally' locked the door.

Isaac/Yami: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MWAHAHAHA! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update. I've had so much to do and my mum dragging me into town every day doesn't help much!

Mercury Gold: Thank you again. I'm glad at least one of my reviews is as big a Mudshipper fan as I am! I don't want to keep hurting Isaac and Mia, but I guess I'll have to if I want my plot to go as planned. Gosh darn it!

Leggy: Wow, so this is what quiet sounds like. Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun.

**The Jupiter Lighthouse**

After a night of dreamless sleep, Ivan was woken by the sound of a stranger breathing. He leaned over to see Sheba lying safely in her bed with a secretive smile on her face. But the breathing wasn't coming from her. He sat up and peered around the white room. By the end of his bed stood a familiar woman.

"Hama? How did you get here?"

"My little secret," she answered tapping her nose with her finger and gazing fondly at her younger brother. "Have you informed your friends of what I told you?"

"No, I didn't get the chance."

"Yes, of course. I must ask you not to tell them though. Although the information is vital, now is not the time. You will know when this time is."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ivan suddenly asked. Hama's eyes widened with shock at his outburst. They both glanced at Sheba to see if she had woken. Luckily, she hadn't.

"Ivan, the truth is, I should have told you far sooner. I didn't because of your feelings. If you'd known that I was your sister, you wouldn't have left the Lama Temple. I am telling you this because it is you and your companions that must save the future of Weyard."

"What about the other three?"

"Do not trust them. Evil comes in many disguises, even in the form of a child. Please be careful my brother. You do not know how much you mean to me, no one does." Hama unexpectedly turned her gaze to Sheba. "Except her. She feels the same way about you that I do. Do not grieve for her when it is her turn to fight. She must complete her destiny, as you must. There's nothing you can do but except that."

Hama was interrupted by a soft groan from Sheba.

"Good bye my brother. I pray that you will complete your task and that we can finally be a family when this is over."

In a burst of light, Hama disappeared, just as Sheba opened her green eyes.

"Hi!" she said in her chirpy voice, grinning at her friend.

Ivan glanced at her happy face and the feeling of dread increased inside him. While they got dressed, he couldn't meet her eyes and spoke very little blaming this on having slept little when Sheba asked.

He looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. The face that stared back looked so different to him. It no longer had the young qualities he remembered. Instead, he saw a tan, slightly muscular young man that he was sure hadn't been there before. He plunged his face into the cold water that had collected in the sink and flicked his wet strands of hair out of the way.

_How did I get myself into this?_ he asked himself. _All I did was ask two strange boys to help me find my missing stick and I'm suddenly caught up in a quest to save the world. I get all the luck._

_You sure do._

Ivan turned and watched Sheba walk into the bathroom, a large smile on her face.

_What are you doing? _she asked, using her mental powers to communicate using her thoughts.

_Nothing. _Ivan turned back to the mirror, but couldn't help seeing Sheba come towards him. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Something's wrong," she whispered into his ear, "You can't hide it from me. I've had dreams that have told me what you know."

Ivan simply stared at her mirror image.

"You...you have?"

"Yes."

"You've had dreams about me?"

"Ivan! That's not the point!" But a smile remained on her face as she tried to scold him. "I know what Hama has told you, about having to help save the world when the lighthouses are lit. I don't want you to have to bear this burden alone."

"Thanks." He turned once more to look directly at Sheba. He was suddenly lost for words. Her face looked so beautiful this morning.

_Great! Now I'm acting like Isaac does around Mia!_

_And what's wrong with that?_

"Sometimes, I think being with another Jupiter Adept is as bad as it is good. There's no way to keep secrets from each other."

"I think it's a good thing."

Sheba closed her jade eyes and a peaceful look appeared on her face.

"Sheba..."

"Oh. So, that's how you really feel about me."

"Urm...I don't...know what you're...urm...talking about..."

"Yeah, sure. In that case, you won't mind if I did this?"

She moved closer and pressed her lips onto his cheek. As she moved back, she giggled at the shocked expression on his face.

"Bye Ivan."

Without another word, she silently left the bathroom and Ivan clearly heard the door to their bedroom open then close.

He lifted his shaky hand and touched his cheek. A giddy smile appeared on his face and he nearly skipped after her.

After asking a guard where everyone was, he found the dining room and gazed happily at those who'd already started their breakfast, not sure who they were, but not caring in the slightest.

He sat beside Garet who was already eating his fair share while chatting happily to a fully recovered Jenna. When his senses came back, he saw that Felix, Sheba and Alicia were already there as well as Isaac and Mia who were sitting at the far side of the table having a whispered conversation.

"What's with them?" he asked Garet, pointing at Mia and Isaac discreetly.

"Don't know," was the reply, "They were here before us. Haven't even touched their food. Didn't say 'hi' either when we came in."

"Lay off Garet," Felix said angrily, his feelings towards Garet still icy cold after what had happened the previous day, "If I recall, you didn't say 'hi'. As soon as you saw the spread, you were stuffing your face."

"That's our Garet," Ivan laughed at his blushing friend.

"Well, I wasn't the only one. Jenna was right behind me."

Looking up after hearing her name, Jenna gazed from face to grinning face.

"What?" she asked causing everyone to laugh loudly.

Isaac and Mia looked at their laughing friends before returning to their conversation.

"I really enjoyed last night Isaac. Maybe we could do it again tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'd definitely say that would be a yes."

Grinning, they stared into each others eyes. Words simply couldn't say what they both felt in their hearts. They were about to kiss when they realized that they weren't alone. Isaac nodded his head towards the door. Mia smiled, took his hand and got to her feet. Desperately trying not to attract attention, they crept towards the door.

"Hey! Where are you two going?" Garet asked, grabbing Isaac's arm to stop him getting away.

"Oh, no where," the Earth Adept said nervously, giving the curious faces around him a fake smile before leaving with an equally tense Mia.

"Rude!"

"Leave them alone Garet," said Ivan, "They've got some important business to do before we go."

"What business?"

Ivan and Sheba exchanged looks. Felix and Jenna nodded in understanding, but Garet simply repeated his question, none the wiser.

"What business?"

"It doesn't matter," Felix said, instantly ending the conversation. At that moment, Lord Avon entered.

The important man sat down at the table with the adepts and helped himself to some toast.

"I hope you're all well and rested."

"Very," Ivan replied. "The beds were so comfortable. Thank you for your great hospitality."

"Don't thank me, thank my brother. He was the one who overruled the council to let you stay."

"The council?" Sheba asked.

"They help to make important decisions regarding Lemuria and the inhabitants.

They thought allowing you to stay would put Lemuria at risk, but King Hydro demanded that you were to remain here as his royal guests."

"That was very generous of him. Will we be able to see him to thank him?"

"I'm sorry Jenna, but he is very busy at the moment so meeting with him would be near impossible. Now, I assume everyone is ready to go to the lighthouse?"

"Well, we'll need to get our things together, but otherwise, yeah, we're ready," answered Felix, pushing away his empty plate.

"Where are Piers, Trinity and Max?" asked Sheba, "They didn't come to breakfast."

"Piers has left already to restock his supplies in the local herb store, that boy, always over prepared, and Trinity and Max are currently getting ready."

"When we go back to our rooms, I'll go find them if you want," Alicia suggested.

"Thank you Alicia. I will meet you all by the palace entrance shortly. Please show our guests where to go," Lord Avon instructed before leaving them to finish.

Slowly, the others exited as well, until only Garet and Felix were left.

"Would you hurry up?!" Felix cried impatiently as the greedy Fire adept stuffed some more bacon and toast into his pocket.

"Ready," he said, rushing after his friend.

* * *

While the others entered their own rooms, Alicia walked off to find Trinity. Being a prepared sort of girl, she'd already strapped her bow and quiver of arrows to her back. She stopped and knocked on one of the wooden doors three times. It opened and Trinity poked her head out.

"Oh, it's you. Come in."

Trinity's room really was amazing. Multicoloured glass beads curtains hung from the sky blue ceiling, casting light over every surface. As usual, it was immaculately tidy. Not one of her beautiful candles sat out of place. A large mirror took up most of the space on the eastern wall and it was surrounded by allsorts of clothes that hung from the corners in a casual manner. It was basically a normal teenage girl's bedroom.

Trinity moved back to her huge oak dressing table and continued to brush her elegant red hair.

"So, what are the plans?" she asked.

"We're all meeting by the castle entrance," Alicia answered, seating herself on Trinity's soft bed while curling her short hair around her little finger.

"Not those plans." Trinity briefly glanced at the other girl sharing a secret understanding. She carefully hung large silver hoop earrings from her ears then placed a small necklace around her slender neck. This morning she was looking particularly stunning. A white cotton shirt hugged her slim figure and a long crimson shirt that perfectly matched her hair covered her long legs.

"Aren't you a bit over-dressed for a trip to the Jupiter Lighthouse?"

"Not if the plan works, now, did they drink the potion?"

"Yes, well, Isaac didn't. What are we gonna do about him?"

"I'll just have to work my God-given powers on him. Did they display the symptoms?"

"Yeah, each of them looked slightly dizzy for a few moments, and then they were fine again."

"Good, good. Everything is in order. I'll sort out Isaac in the lighthouse."

"Fine. Come on, we've got to go. We still have to get Max."

Trinity grinned and followed her friend out of the door after grabbing her weapon of choice, a long staff covered in rose coloured crystals.

"I hope this works," Alicia said looking at the older girl with concern in her voice.

"Don't worry, it will. And if it doesn't, he'll think of something else. He always does."

The two girls grinned almost evilly as the door closed behind them.

* * *

"Isaac! Mia! What's up with you two?"

After the large group had met up, they had started walking towards the Jupiter Lighthouse which was standing tall in the distance, and Garet's booming voice could, once again, be heard above everyone else's.

"Nothing's wrong Garet," said Isaac, his voice dripping with rage, "We're just trying to have a private conversation that you keep interrupting!"

Several Lemurians turned to watch the group of twelve people walk through town. Garet was the main reason for this. Although Isaac and Mia were only a few feet in front of him, he seemed to find it necessary to shout. Ever since they'd set off, Garet had been giving the couple a hard time about their silence during breakfast and they weren't willing to tell him why.

"Come on! Something's going on between you two and I want to know what! Friends aren't supposed to keep secrets!"

"Keep talking and we won't be your friends for much longer!"

"Isaac! Please tell me! Everyone seems to know, but they won't tell me."

"Good! It's none of your business! You'll take it way out of proportion and end up going on about it forever if I tell you. I know you Garet. You're like a big child! "

"Ouch," Garet said simply as he walked away from the group, cold shouldering his best friend.

Isaac instantly regretted what he'd said and hurried after him telling the others that they'd catch up.

"Hey! Garet! Don't be like that! I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, I was only trying to find out what was wrong. I only wanted to help."

"I know, but you also have to give me my privacy. Despite what you think, everyone has really grown up on this journey. We're no the kids we were when we started out and apparently, we're now the young adults we once despised."

"You're right. It's strange though. I don't feel any different."

"That's because you're not. You're still the kid you've always been."

"Oh, thanks. So, what did happen last night?"

"You'll never change!" Laughing, the boys could just see their friends far ahead of them, but they'd seemed to have stopped to let them catch up. "Well, since you're not going to give up, I might as well tell you."

"Did you kiss?"

"Garet! ...Well, yes, we did actually."

"Alright Isaac! You've finally got yourself a girl that was unlucky enough to fall for you. So, what happened next?"

"We talked for ages. She's really is amazing. She said she loved me. No girl has ever said that to me before."

Isaac's eyes glazed over as he stared into the distance, a happy smile spreading across his face.

"Man, you've got this love thing bad!" Garet was still grinning and rolled his eyes as Isaac caught sight of Mia standing just to the side of the group and went into his blissful state once more.

"I'm going to announce it at the top of the lighthouse when we've lit the beacon. I've even got her a ring I found ages ago."

"Announce what?"

"Oh, come on Garet! Announce that we're an official about that."

"Congrads about what?" asked Ivan as they approached the group.

"Oh...nothing," Isaac answered as they all began to walk again. He gave Garet a silencing glare that Garet knew well from experience then turned to walk with Mia.

"More secrets?" Ivan asked Garet.

"Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."

No one spoke for the rest of the journey. They seemed to be quite content with looking at the beautiful view of the city. By this time, they had reached the city's limits and were currently walking along a worn path at the edge of a cliff which overlooked Lemuria. Isaac and Mia walked just ahead of the others, occasionally holding hands and simply gazing into each others eyes.

Only Garet seemed to notice this. He desperately resisted the urge to nudge Ivan and point out the love struck couple; something both of them had enjoyed doing ever since they'd first noticed a spark between them.

Finally, they reached the towering lighthouse and Lord Avon held out his hand for the group to stop.

"I will not be able to go any further. I do not have the powers to get to the top of the lighthouse. I wish you luck."

Everyone watched him slowly walk away before turning back to the huge lighthouse.

"I have a question," said Jenna suddenly. "Why is there a Wind lighthouse in a water based city?"

"Because the city of Contigo lies on the other side of the lighthouse and it is a wind based city," Piers explained impatiently. "Can we go now?"

He strode towards the tower and pushed open the doors. Trinity and Alicia rolled their eyes at his back.

"Ignore him; he's always been like that. Isaac, do you want to lead the way?" asked Trinity, her face looking as innocent as her words.

Isaac blinked then nodded shyly. Mia on the other hand seemed to boil with rage. How dare another girl flirt with her man and make him blush! She took hold of Isaac's hand defensively and allowed herself to be led into the building with the others close behind. Trinity, Alicia and Max hung back. The evil smiles had reappeared on the girls faces.

"Finally, they're in," said Trinity, happily. "Come on or we'll lose them."

Alicia and Max simply nodded and followed their leader into the darkness of the lighthouse, allowing the doors to slam shut behind them.

* * *

Chapter nine is now finished. Wow that took a lot out of me.

Yami: Grrr...

Yami? What's wrong now?

Yami: ROAR!

Isaac: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LEGGY! OPEN THE DOOR!

Leggy: OK! (Door opens and Yami is standing there with Isaac's head in his mouth)

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yami: ROAR!

NO! NOT MY LEGGY!

Leggy: HAVE MERCY! (Leggy is soon also dead)

Why Yami? Why are you killing my poor muses?

Yami: Cause I'm bored!

SECURITY!

Security Man: Yes madam?

I'm scared. Take him away!

Security Man: Yes madam.

Oh, and get a wider range of vocabulary.

Security Man: Yes Madam. (Takes Yami away in a straight jacket)

Yami: MWAHAHAHAHA!

Well, I guess I'm gonna have to look for a new muse.

(AN: Only kidding! Isaac and Leggy aren't really dead. I just want a new muse and didn't know how to get rid of them. Next chapter, you'll meet my new muse. YAY!)

(AN2: Just so you know, no muses were killed in the making of this added bonus at the end of my story. Don't cry for them, they're probably out there annoying someone else. BYE BYE! AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!)


	10. The Flight of the Elementals

Hello folks! I would now like to take time out of my very busy writing time to introduce you to my new muse and alter ego, Jenna!

Jenna: My people, I know you all want me.

And for those wondering, there is no connection to the Jenna in Golden Sun...

Jenna: Except the fact that I am a rabid Garet fan girl!

Yeah, except that.

Sorian: Well, join the club! No matter how cute or how heroic a guy can be, he always has an annoying side. Yes, yes, I know. I updated. Happy now?

?????????: You make excellent points and I of course appreciate your comment, but the bottom line is, this is my story. I happen to like relationships between Isaac and Mia. And just so you know, there was also Garet/Jenna hints in TLA as well. As for Ivan and Sheba, I don't want them to be brother and sister, and there's the fact that they're the only two fifteen year olds in the group. It just seems to fit.

Jenna: Hey! This is my first disclaimer! Cool! Oracle does not own Golden Sun.

**The Flight of the Elementals**

The group of adepts walked through the darkness in complete silence, none of them daring to speak incase they attracted the attention of unwanted enemies. It wasn't long until they reached a fork in the road.

"Maybe we should split up," Trinity suggested, "You know, to cover more ground."

"Well, splitting up isn't really our thing, safety in numbers and all that, but if you think that's best then alright." Felix looked around him at his uneasy friends. They'd always done everything as a team and splitting up now seemed like a bad idea.

"I think we should have teams with each element in it, excluding me, Trinity and Max," said Alicia, pulling out her bow and fitting an arrow in place.

"Fine, Jenna, Ivan, Piers, Alicia, Max and Felix can go left, Isaac, Garet, Sheba, Mia and I will go right. Any questions?" When no one answered, Trinity led her group to the right and further into the darkness, which seemed to intensify the further they went. Sheba waited for a few seconds to give Ivan a quick kiss which caused him to glow a bright red then ran of after her group. Garet couldn't help laughing and Ivan knew that when they met up again, Garet wasn't going to let him forget the kiss, not that he would.

Once again, no one bothered to talk. Isaac, Mia and Garet lagged behind as Sheba and Trinity took the lead, chatting about the city of Contigo which apparently interested Sheba greatly. They entered several rooms full of puzzles and mazes, but with Sheba's wind psynergy as well as the powers they'd gained on their quest, they worked their way through easily.

The tunnels went on for ages and showed no sign of stopping. Soon the only thing they saw were the dripping walls, the flickering lights that led the way and whoever was standing in front of them.

When they couldn't walk any further, Trinity stopped and allowed everyone to sit for a while on the cold wet floor.

"So, tell me, what it is like in Vale Isaac?" she asked, seating herself between Isaac and Garet, much to Mia's displeasure.

"Well, it's good I suppose. I never really thought of it as beautiful, but it really is. I guess you don't really miss it until you leave."

"It sounds so wonderful."

"It's nothing compared to living in Lemuria though."

"Oh, I don't know. At least you can leave if you want to. It's really difficult with the seas all around. I've never seen any of the towns you and your friends mentioned."

"That's terrible," Sheba said from the opposite side of the corridor.

"We'll, I'm used to it now. I've lived here since I was two. I can't remember what happened before that."

She grinned as everyone looked at her with pity on their faces.

_These adepts will believe anything! Just tell them something remotely similar to their life and they'll lap it up! I never knew it would be this easy! _She thought secretly, knowing that even Sheba wouldn't be able to get through to her thoughts and discover the truth.

"Would anyone like a drink? I made them specially."

"Thanks," said Garet, grabbing the small glass bottle she'd held out. She dove into her bag that hung from her shoulder and pulled out two more bottles. Sheba took one gratefully and drank the cool liquid.

"Mia, do you want one?" Trinity asked, faking a friendly smile.

"No," she answered simply, not even looking in her direction and rested her head on Isaac's shoulder.

"I'll have one," Isaac said as a bead of sweat fell from his forehead.

Smiling inwardly, Trinity found the right bottle and passed it to him before sipping her own. She watched him take a swig then dried his wet lips on the back of his sleeve.

"Wow, it tastes amazing," he murmured taking a deep breath.

Suddenly, the walls around him began to spin and if he hadn't been sitting down, he would have fallen. He put out his hand to steady himself and disturbed Mia.

"Isaac? Are you Ok?"

Holding his head in his hands, Isaac nodded.

"Yeah. I must have drunk too much at once. I'm fine now."

"We'd better go," said Trinity while rising to her feet.

Garet and Mia helped Isaac up and followed her with Sheba not far behind. Mia didn't take her angry eyes off of the red-headed girl.

_Something's going on here and it's got something to do with her._

"What's the rush?" Garet called after Trinity who had rushed off rather quickly than necessary. "I know we have to light the beacon, but do we have to go so fast?"

"No, we have to go so fast because I have reason to believe something very big is following us through the tunnels!"

"I think I'm rested now!"

Garet ran off at a speed no one thought he was able to go at when everyone clearly heard a roar from somewhere behind them.

The tunnel suddenly opened up into a large room with a beam of coloured light directly in the centre which spiraled up through the ceiling. It was so beautiful they were all entranced by it for a few seconds.

"There's no way out!" Sheba cried looking around desperately.

"Well, I guess the only way is up!" Trinity ran forward and jumped straight into the strip of light. No one moved as she slowly spiraled upwards and passed through the ceiling. A second roar snapped them out of their daze and they all raced to the light.

Isaac reached it first, but allowed Sheba to go first. Smiling her thanks, she rose up and then disappeared.

"Mia go!" Isaac yelled over the beast's cries. "Garet and me can take care of whatever this creature is, just get to safety."

Pausing for a moment, Mia gave Isaac a desperate look then nodded reluctantly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him before vanishing in the swirl of colour.

"Your turn Garet."

"No way! I'm not leaving you here alone!" his friend cried as a shower of dust burst through the stone entrance to the room covering them in a layer of dirt. There was a rumble and the pounding of huge feet then the opening shattered into pieces of broken stone as a giant beast entered.

It was a Chimera, but unlike anything they'd encountered before. Its body was covered with thick black fur that was standing on end, giving it a very intimidating look. All three of its heads snarled, each pair of eyes flashing menacingly. It leaned back on its hind legs and struck out with its clawed feet.

"What are we going to do?" Isaac gasped, dodging the attack while pulling out his Gaia Blade.

"You're not going to do anything," Garet replied. He turned and pushed Isaac into the light before facing the Chimera once more.

"GARET! NO!" But it was too late. Isaac quickly floated up into the air, unable to do anything but watch his brave friend.

Garet's eyes were wide with fear. He followed the creature's movements, gripping the handle of his Giant Axe. He backed away slowly as the creature moved forward. Sensing his fear, the Chimera reared up again and shot a volley of fireballs at him. Having no defense against such a powerful attack, he did the only thing he could do. He turned and dived head first into the light, but he wasn't quick enough. The burning flames encircled his body, charring his clothes and scorching his bare skin. Barely conscious, he hung in the air. Blood streamed from an open cut on his chest and smoke rose from his ruined clothes yet he was still alive. The creature roared its anger, shooting more flames at the warrior. Garet grinned weakly as he passed through the ceiling and out of danger.

* * *

Mia suddenly appeared in a completely different room. In front of her stood Sheba and Trinity who both had nervous looks on their faces.

"Mia! Are you Ok? What happened?" Sheba cried, wrapping her arms around the older girl.

Mia smiled at her friend which faded almost instantly.

"I'm fine. I don't know if I can say the same for the boys though. They're both going to fight the creature on their own."

"Wait!" Trinity said suddenly, walking towards the spot where Mia had appeared. "Can you hear that?"

Listening carefully, they were able to hear Isaac's voice from the room below them. Soon, Isaac himself had emerged out of the floor.

"NO! I HAVE TO GO BACK!"

He placed his hands on the damp floor, but nothing happened.

"Isaac! Calm down! What's going on? Where's Garet?"

"He's going to fight the monster alone!"

"WHAT?!" The others were stunned. Garet was head strong, but not this stupid.

"Trinity! How do I get back down there?"

"I...I don't know. I've seen something like this before, but don't know how to get back down. I'm so sorry."

Banging his fists on the wall, Isaac got up and paced the room, scowling at his stupidity.

_Garet's my best friend! How could I let this happen?! It should be me down there!_

"Isaac..." Mia gasped as she pointed at something. Everyone watched Garet appear in the middle of the room. He looked like hell, but was still able to smile at his friends.

"Hi, everyone alright?"

"GARET!" Isaac was instantly by his side, his hands glowing with psynergy as he healed the wounds Garet had acquired. "How could you be so stupid?!"

"Well, Jenna is always saying it comes naturally to me, and I guess she's finally right."

The two boys hugged before Isaac helped Garet up onto his feet. Then it was Mia and Sheba's turn to hug him.

"Wow! So much attention. Maybe I should nearly get killed everyday."

"You do nearly get killed everyday!" Mia scowled as she squeezed him tighter.

Garet couldn't help smiling. It was true after all. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to Isaac, yet it wasn't the Isaac he knew. He had tears in his eyes and his once strong grip shook. Garet gazed, slightly scared, into the Venus adept's sad face, lost for words.

"Why?" was all Isaac could say. "Why?"

"Isaac...I couldn't see my best bud get hurt like that. At least if I took the hit, you'd be able to go on and complete the quest."

"But I wouldn't...I...I can't do this without you!"

"Isaac..." The two boys embraced again, but now Isaac wasn't the only one crying. Next to them, Mia and Sheba tried to hold back their own tears while Trinity stood a few feet away, looking at the scene with a smirk on her face.

_Maybe this will be harder than we first thought. They seem willing to give up their own lives for their friends._

Light spilled into the dark tunnel as the group walked the last couple of steps that led out onto the lighthouse's aerie. The sunshine felt good on their deprived skin and they stood still for a few seconds, just letting it pass over them.

"GARET!" A sharp voice interrupted them. Jenna rushed forward and hurtled straight at Garet like an arrow. "What happened? Are you alright?" She wrapped her arms around his waist even though he was leaning on Isaac for support which sent all three of them to the floor.

"Jenna! Calm down! I'm fine. We just had a little incident with a monster."

"LITTLE?! He jumped in front of a Chimera's fire ball to protect Isaac!" Sheba cried from Ivan's side.

"You stupid thing! How could you?!" Jenna screeched as she helped him up. When he was on his feet again, she slapped him hard across the face. Everyone stepped back, quite scared of her and amazed that she'd done such a thing.

Garet touched his red face where a red hand mark still remained, completely stunned.

"You always have to risk your stupid neck, don't you?! Don't you care about how we'd feel if we lost you?"

"Jenna...I'm sorry."

It looked like Jenna was going to continue ranting on, but at that moment, an evil cackle echoed around them.

"We meet again."

Everyone turned to see Karst and Agatio appear from behind one of the angelic statues that guarded the beacon.

"I knew you'd come eventually." Karst gave them a toothy grin while running one of her long fingers along the edge of her sharp scythe.

"Who's the red-head wannabe?" Trinity asked, raising her eyebrows at the stranger. Max giggled nervously, but no one else made a noise.

"And who are you? I haven't seen you with the brats before, or your two friends."

"I'm Trinity, this is Alicia and Max, and by the glares my new friends are giving you, I'm guessing you're not something we're glad to see."

"No, I'm not. I'm Karst of the town Prox in the northern most region of the world, and this is my associate, Agatio. Since all of the pleasantries have been taken care of, let's get down to business."

"Yes, let's." Karst turned to Felix who gave her his nastiest glare.

"How've you been Felix? Still on your silly mission to free your parents? I'm glad to see you still have the Jupiter Star and I hope these fools," she indicated at Isaac, Garet, Ivan and Mia, "haven't persuaded you to do the opposite."

"No, they're helping me now."

"Good, good, well, do it then. I won't stop you."

Slightly nervous, Felix eyed the Proxians who did nothing but step aside so he could pass. He took a small step forward and threw the star into the hole before Karst could change her mind.

A deep rumble could be heard from far below them in the centre of the lighthouse. A mighty wind picked up and storm clouds appeared above them. Lightning split the heavens causing heavy rain to stream down, soaking everyone. The winds suddenly became more powerful than anything any of them had ever seen before. It nearly lifted them off of their feet. The Jupiter star reappeared out of the hole and floated in between the guardian statues, completely immune to the wind.

"Thank you," Karst said, "You've done all of our work for us." She snapped her fingers and Agatio nodded in understanding. He held out his right hand and a small red orb materialized in his hand which resembled the Mars star. He threw it at the floor and it began to grow, spreading across the ground until it had created a circle around the adepts. Suddenly, flames shot up and completely covered them in a dome of fire.

Agatio smirked and joined Karst in front of the floating Elemental star. Garet's anger was slowly rising as he glared at the two Mars Adepts and before anyone could stop him, he'd rushed forward towards the force field, he fists held high in preparation for a fight.

Without warning, Felix slammed into him, sending him to the floor.

"Don't be an idiot Garet! You don't know what it will do to you!" He glanced at Jenna while helping Garet up, who looked back, half concerned for Garet, half scared that the same thing that had happened to her would happen to one of her friends.

"You're cleverer than I remember Felix," Agatio growled while moving towards them. He passed his hand through the fire wall and shuddered as he pulled the rest of his body through. In a second, he'd grabbed Isaac and held him in a suffocating head lock.

"Get off him!" Garet cried, dashing forward to help his friend with Felix, Ivan and Piers close behind, but Agatio had already let go. He passed through the wall again and gave something small to Karst. Isaac had a startled look on his face as he desperately searched his pockets for something.

"Looking for this?" Karst asked, holding up the Mars Star.

"Look!" Sheba yelled quite suddenly, pointing at the glowing Jupiter star. Seven twinkling lights were spinning slowly around the large orb. A whirlwind passed by them and, caught in the wind, they shot off high up into the dark sky.

A second gale began, screeching in their ears and sending dust into their eyes. Dropping to the floor, the adepts held onto each other as the wind passed through the force field and attempted to whip them up into the air.

There was a scream and Ivan was thrown up, off of the ground, and flung away from the group. He tried used his psynergy to counter the gale, but it was too strong and it carried him into the fire wall. Fire surrounded Ivan becoming long ropes and trapped him. He struggled against the fiery ropes in vain, gasping when it touched his bare skin.

Sheba was sobbing pitifully, desperate to get to him. Amazingly, the gale stopped and the winds died down. Everything went quiet. Even Sheba had stopped crying, but when Felix took a closer look at her, she had appeared to have frozen in place. Isaac, Mia, Max, Trinity, Alicia and even Karst were exactly the same. Their eyes changed colour, becoming a heavenly white, but were empty of any emotion or life.

A strange noise caused those who hadn't been affected to look up. The seven lights had returned. Singing gently in the light wind, they headed straight for the seven frozen adepts and merged with them. Their white eyes changed and turned the same colours that the lights had been, each one corresponding to their element.

As if this had triggered something inside each of them, they came back to life, but were somehow different. Sheba looked at Ivan and held out one of her slightly glowing hands. The flames that bound him disappeared and he slowly fell to the floor.

"Isaac? What happened?" Garet asked, nervously approaching his friend.

"Lighting the third lighthouse has released the powers of the Elemental Leaders. We are those leaders." Isaac waved his hand towards Mia, Sheba and the three new adepts then gazed at the force field. It seemed to flicker then disappeared all together.

"What Lord Avon said was true then?" Ivan asked Sheba who had his head in her lap.

"Yes."

"And you're the Jupiter Leader?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll have to fight?"

Sheba nodded sadly, her eyes filling with tears as she recalled the dream she'd had what seemed like an age ago, the dream of what the world would become if they didn't stop the evil forces. "You must let me do this."

"I will." Sheba's head shot up and she searched Ivan's face for any signs of deceit. There wasn't any. "You have to fight, it's your destiny. And I'll be right there beside you." They embraced before turning their attention back to the group.

"KARST!" Isaac cried, taking a step forward which created a small earthquake beneath his feet. "Give me the Mars star!"

"I don't think so." Karst had the same glowing eyes that Isaac had, but a shimmering ruby red instead of a gentle gold. It was obvious that she was the chosen Mars Leader. "If you want it, come and get it." Taunting him, she held the star in front of her and shook it from side to side as if he was a dog.

It worked. He rushed forward, the quakes growing dramatically with his temper and he lunged for the star. But it was as if he'd passed straight through her. He hit the floor face first and winced in pain. Looking up, he glared at the figure floating above him on wings as red as her eyes. She laughed at his failed attempt to retrieve the gem then flew up higher.

"How can she do that?" Jenna gasped, clinging to Garet's arm.

"It's a power granted to the Elemental Leaders," said Mia as a pair of beautiful sea blue wings folded out between her shoulder blades and spread out by her sides. The delicate feathers rustled in the breeze. Mia leapt up into the air, testing the power of the wings, swooping over the heads of her friends before hovering just above ground.

Sheba also rose up on wings of the lightest lilac, picking Ivan up on the way. Suddenly, she shot upwards, higher and higher until they'd disappeared above the clouds. It wasn't long before the clouds parted and a dot that was the two Jupiter Adepts hurtled back down towards earth. Soon, Sheba and Ivan were in clear view and Ivan's face was full of wonder. Sheba lowered him onto the ground and laughed as he staggered forward.

"Wow!" was all he said. He swayed, but was caught just in time by Garet.

"What did you do to him?" he asked Sheba as he steadied his dreaming friend.

She smiled slyly and then floated over to Mia.

Behind them, Trinity, Alicia and Max stood admiring their own wondrous pairs of wings. Trinity's were a pastel pink, Alicia's were a buttercup yellow and Max's were a sparkling silver.

Suddenly, a surge of power from above hurtled down at them, knocking everyone off of their feet. Trinity was able to create a small shield around them so their weren't any major injuries, but they all felt the raw power Karst had tapped into to use that attack. It was like nothing they'd felt before.

"Come on!" Karst cried from above, "I thought the Elemental leaders were supposed to be tough!"

"That's it!" Isaac's temper had finally run out. His own golden wings beat quickly as he soared up into the sky towards Karst. Mia and Sheba followed him. They were so close they almost looked like one person.

"Come on Trinity, we have to help them," Alicia said sarcastically.

"Oh yes, we must." Trinity returned the grin and turned to Max who, until now, had done nothing at all. He nodded at the older girl then closed his eyes. His whole body turned a silver colour then became a thick liquid which formed a puddle of the floor before disappearing. Trinity then turned back to the group of other adepts, each of which seemed rather on edge. She waved her hands and a dome appeared around them like the fire one Agatio had made. It spun around them quickly while the insides filled with a pinkish smoke. When the adepts breathed in the smoke, they feel to the floor in a deep slumber leaving only Trinity and Alicia standing.

"Fight well," Trinity instructed Alicia who had risen into the air, "And keep them busy for as long as possible."

"I will."

The girls shared a warm embrace before Alicia flew off after the other Leaders and Trinity disappeared along with her dome full of lifeless bodies.

Agatio had watched the whole scene with mild interest. As the final group of adepts vanished he smiled and cast a fire spell around himself. His laugher rang out in the air as he stepped into the flames and disappeared too in a cloud of ash.

* * *

Wow! That was a long one.

Jenna: I like it!

YAY! One of my muses isn't evil and likes my writing!

Jenna: Yeah, my only concern is there isn't enough Flameshipping!

Of course. Review my fans or the next one will take longer. MWAHAHAHA!


	11. An Unlikely Enemy

Chapter eleven... (Sniff)...I'm so proud of me!

Jenna: Awww! You're sweet when you're happy!

YAY! BIG HUG!

Jenna: Too far!

Aww! I want hug!

Jenna: Get a teddy then!

(Teddy magically appears)

YAY! TEDDY!

Jenna: I'm scared now.

Sorian: Yes, Jenna is my muse, got a problem? 'Cause she's ready to beat anyone up for insulting her.

Jenna: Yeah! Wanna fight? Huh, huh? Didn't think so. Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun, I do!

**An Unlikely Enemy**

The whole world turned dark as the battle began. People watched in silence while changes started to happen everywhere after the release of the Jupiter power.

In the north, the Mercury star that sat atop of the Mercury lighthouse flickered dangerously as if its power was slowly ebbing away. Those in Imil became increasingly ill. Winds blew wildly from the southeast covering the whole town in ice and snow.

In Lalivero, similar things were happening. The Venus star's light was also fading away and the heat in the town had become unbearable. The water dried up leaving the people dying of thirst in the unforgiving sun.

Far away from these places, in the middle of the eastern sea, the cities of Lemuria and Contigo sat in a cloud of fog. Despite the terrors that were happening all over Weyard, the blue skies were filled with the songs of birds and the villagers walked through the legendary cities completely unaware of any trouble.

In between these two cities, the third lighthouse, the Jupiter Lighthouse, glowed with the immense power of the Jupiter star. It alone seemed unaffected by the changes and it shone much brighter than the others. The energy was quickly growing as the fight above continued.

The Lemurians below that had noticed the fight were watching in awe from the streets below as five flying creatures soared through the air. On closer inspection, they appeared to be angels, flying on magical wings of different colours and three of them were attacking the fourth, a strange girl on wings of a ruby red. She dodged each attack sent at her with the grace of a bird, neutralising the powerful psynergy with her own.

The fifth angel floated by the sidelines, her yellow wings beat steadily. She simply watched the scene before her, but did nothing to help. Instead, a grin had spread across her young face as the fight escalated.

The red angel was too fast and hadn't even taken a hit yet whereas the others were tired and injured.

"Just give up!" Karst yelled, sending another ball of fire at her opponents.

"Never!" Isaac flew forward and sliced through the fireball with his sword, destroying it. "Give back the Mars star Karst!"

"Never!" she mimicked in a high-pitched voice. Flying higher still, she tossed the star from hand to hand, never once letting it slip from her grip.

"We don't want to fight you Karst," cried Mia, her beautiful blue wings shinning in the light created by the lightning that flashed all around the lighthouse. "If you want to light the lighthouses, we're on the same team now."

"Sweet kindly Mia," Karst interrupted, shaking her head slowly, "I'm afraid we'll never be on the same team. Your team is a bunch of murderers and I'll never forgive any of you for that!" She sent a huge flaming dragon straight at Mia with all the strength she could muster, but Sheba reacted just in time to shield her with the power of her Djinn, Haze.

"Stop it!" Sheba cried, "Stop it now! This won't solve anything! Karst, we didn't kill your sister. It's true that Isaac, Garet, Mia and Ivan fought Saturos and Menardi, and they won, but I know that they didn't kill them."

"How? How do you now?" Karst demanded, pointing a long nailed finger at Sheba's face.

"Because I was there. I had been taken to the top of the lighthouse with them and I saw what happened. Saturos and Menardi threw themselves into the centre of the lighthouse because they couldn't face their defeat. Isaac didn't kill them, they killed themselves."

"No...you're lying! She wouldn't, she promised she'd come back!"

Karst threw another fire ball at Sheba before trying to make a break towards the ground, but she was too slow this time. Isaac darted in front of her, cutting her off.

"Please Karst. We just want to talk. We want to make you understand."

"I know your upset, but we really do want to help," said Alicia as she finally approached the group.

"Help? How can you help me? I don't even know who you are!"

"I'm Alicia as Trinity said before and I believe we have a common goal. You want the last lighthouse lit; I want the last lighthouse lit. You want to get rid of the obstacles in your way," she indicated at the other three adepts, "And I also want to get rid of them too."

"What? Alicia..." But Isaac couldn't even finish before a cry came from Sheba. She pointed to the lighthouse aerie below them where Trinity had created a dome of psynergy around their friends. It hung there for a moment then disappeared with everyone inside it.

"NO!" Isaac nearly swooping down to find out what had happened, but a thought stopped him. He turned to the smug Alicia. "YOU!" He had grabbed her before she'd had a chance to escape. Mia quickly realized what had happened and grabbed Alicia's other arm.

"Where have they gone?" she asked, the desperation in her voice giving away her fear.

"I don't know what you mean," Alicia answered with a fake look of innocence on her face, "Now, let me go."

"Not until you answer a few questions. Sheba, do what you do best," said Isaac, still holding the struggling girl.

Sheba nodded and silently flew over to face Alicia. She placed her hands onto Alicia's temples then went into the trademark trance of the psynergy, Mind Read. After a few minutes, she blinked, her face contorted with fear and weariness. The world around her blurred. Her body was so weak from the stress of flying and trying to break through the barriers in Alicia's mind; she could hardly stay in the air. She suddenly gave up and plummeted back to the aerie.

"Sheba!" Mia called, but she still held Alicia with Isaac and couldn't rescue her doomed friend. A figure flew past them and sped after Sheba. Just before they reached the aerie, the figure caught Sheba, pulled up and gracefully landed.

Isaac and Mia lowered Alicia to the ground then faced Sheba's saviour, their hands still firmly holding their captive.

"Why did you save her? I thought you didn't trust us," Isaac said, his azure eyes wide with disbelief and distrust.

"I don't trust you," Karst answered, "But as you may be the last hope for the survival of Weyard, I guess I'll have to."

She checked Sheba over carefully, making sure that she had no permanent damage, then cast Healing Aura before helping the Wind adept to her feet.

"Thanks," said Sheba shakily.

"So, what did you see?" Isaac asked, tying Alicia up with the rope Karst had just created with her fire psynergy.

"It was just a jumble of images, each one more devastating than the last. I saw Alicia with two others who were shrouded in shadows, I couldn't see who they were, but they were all using psynergy to destroy everything from buildings to innocent people."

"Do you think she is the evil force that Lord Avon spoke of?"

"I don't know." Sheba turned from Mia to Isaac who had been rather quiet. He suddenly faced Sheba with his piercing eyes.

"Before we can face this new enemy we need to find the others. Do you think you can use Mind Read on her again?"

"Probably." Sheba was about to use her psynergy again when Karst grabbed her hands.

"Here." She pushed something into Sheba's hand. When she had removed her hand, Sheba saw that it was a Psynergy Crystal. Sheba looked at Karst curiously who simply turned her back on the group once more. Sheba smiled and felt the power flood back into her body. Once again, she used her Jupiter power and delved into the mind of Alicia. This time though, she focused on a single question.

_Where are our friends?_

_I'll never tell you!_ was the firm reply.

_Where are they? _Sheba's hands became tense by Alicia's head and Alicia seemed to go into a different sort of trance. She shook consistently and gave gasps of pain every so often.

_The palace...in Lemuria,_ she finally mumbled in a weird unearthly voice.

_Where in the castle?_

_It's...it's...NO! You'll have to kill me before I'll tell you!_

_TELL ME!_

"NO!" Alicia's screams echoed through the air, startling those around her.

Sheba tightened her grip on the mind link, her eyes glimmering with tears as her body shook.

_Below the Teleportation circle, a secret staircase, the password..._Said the suffering girl.

_What's the password?_

_It's...the password is..._Whatever Alicia was about to say dissolved in a sea of screaming. The tears slid down Sheba's face as she desperately tried to continue. All her strength had left her and she was about to give up when Alicia murmured, _Golden Sun, _before she collapsed in the rope's grip.

Sheba removed her hands and looked up at her friends, her face wet and her body still trembling.

"They're in the castle, where the teleportation circle is." Her eyes turned to Isaac who looked upset at what he'd made his friend do. "Please, promise me something. Never allow me to do that again."

* * *

Earth brown eyes slowly opened and looked around, but didn't seem to take anything in. Each movement the person made sent waves of pain from his toes to the ends of his long hair. It took him a while to realize that his arms were held up at the sides of his head by a large amount of heavy chains and that his feet were in the same state.

Felix fought hard to remember what had happened, his mind fuzzy and unwilling to co-operate. He vaguely heard a voice speaking to him from his left, but couldn't figure out what it was saying.

"Felix..." He turned at the sound of his own name, the only thing he could recall at that time and met a familiar pair of chocolate brown eyes.

"Jenna?" he managed to mumble. The girl nodded shaking her own set of chains.

Suddenly, his memories began to flood back into his mind. He remembered the trip to Lemuria, meeting Piers and various other people, the trip up the Jupiter Lighthouse and the birth of the Elemental Leaders. Then Trinity turned on them and used a powerful sleep spell on them. She must be the evil force!

He looked up and saw his vision clear. He was in a large dungeon cell, like the one Jenna and Sheba had been in, but much bigger. In was empty apart from one large wooden table in the middle that had sets of chains attached to the corners. The only sound other than Jenna's and his own breathing was the constant drip of water onto the dirt-covered floor.

To Felix's right was another person chained up just like he was. This person was also beginning to wake. With a shake of his head, he flicked a large amount of blue hair out of the way, revealing his young face and golden eyes.

"Felix? What's going on? Where are we?" Piers asked, attempting to free himself only to find he was as weak as Felix felt.

"You're the Lemurian, you tell me."

More groans came from further to Felix's left. Garet and Ivan gazed around, equally confused.

Doing the first thing that came to mind, Felix tried to send a small earthquake up the stone wall to free himself from the chains, but soon realised that he could barely concentrate let alone summon any kind of psynergy in his present condition.

"I see the power sealing potions you drunk have finally taken effect."

The five adepts twisted their pale faces towards the voice. By the only entrance and exit to the room stood four robed figures. The smallest stepped forward and pulled back the hood that covered his face. Everyone gasped when the face of Max came into view.

"Max?" Jenna asked weakly, "But why?"

"Because, you simple Mars Adept, I wish to have more than just having the lighthouses lit once more. For you see, I have had a little chat with an old friend of yours..."

One of the taller figures moved next to Max and removed his hood.

"I should have known!" Felix spat while glaring into the gleaming eyes of his old companion, Alex, "I knew you'd fit into this somehow, you...you..."

"Now, now, temper Felix. We don't want you to get any more hurt than necessary now do we?" Grinning maliciously, Alex swept forward and held out a hand towards Jenna's face. He carefully ran his long fingers through her hair that had come loose from her ponytail. She closed her eyes, disgusted at what he was doing and scared that he was going to do more.

"DON'T TOUCH MY SISTER!" Felix strained even harder against the chains, desperate to defend Jenna.

"Don't worry Felix, she is safe for now. You all are, if you co-operate with us." Once again, Alex's eyes gleamed evilly as he turned back to Max and the other two figures. "I'd do it now if I were you."

Max nodded and beckoned one of the mysterious people over. He whispered something into the person's ear who nodded and took off their hood. It was Trinity.

"Before you do anything, we have the right to know what's happening at least," Piers reasoned with them.

"Well, if you have the right," Alex answered sarcastically, "Fine. As you know, lighting the lighthouses will cause psynergy to enter the world again as it did once long ago. But what you don't know is that the light from the four beacons will summon the almighty Golden Sun to rise once more over the top of Mount Aleph, a place I'm sure you know quite well. The one who allows the full might of the sun to shine on them will receive the ultimate powers, immortality and enough psynergy to rule all of Weyard. This is what I want and so do my associates, and to get it, it means destroying all of you which is what we will do!"

Trinity walked towards Piers, the same smile on her face that was on Alex's'. She reached out and rested her fore and middle fingers on the forehead.

"Ah, Piers," said Max, "Taking over your mind will give me so much pleasure. When you are gone, there will be no one to take over the throne of Lemuria and with my power, they'll all bow done to me within seconds. DO IT!"

Piers gave a strangled yell as Trinity's fingers glowed pink. He struggled as much as possible, trying anything to release her hold on his mind, but nothing could stop her now. He slumped back against the wall, His eyes closed, his arms limp in the chains and his body lifeless with an image of pain set into his strained face.

Jenna sobbed silently while the boys stayed silent, the shock still new in their mind like an open wound.

"Now, who's next?" Alex asked cockily, turning from one adept to the next, "I think the Wind Adept that had the indecency to meddle with things that don't concern him."

Ivan's eyes widen with fear as he went rigid and very pale. Garet looked mortified.

"NO! Take me instead of him! Like you said, he isn't part of this, let him go!"

Ivan was quite shocked by these words. He knew that Garet was only saying them to stop him from getting hurt which made him feel incredibly grateful, but what if there was some truth to the words? Was this how Garet really felt?

"Back off, it'll be your turn soon," cried Trinity, pushing Garet back against the wall with amazing strength. He gave a yelp of pain and stayed still.

Within seconds, Ivan's screams were echoing around the room even after he'd blacked out like Piers.

Jenna could barely hold back the tears that stained her face while Felix closed his eyes tightly. It was what he'd always dreaded. After he'd seen his family get hit by a rock that had seemed to kill them, he'd tried his best to harden his heart so he would never have to feel that pain again. It was bad enough having to have left Jenna behind when he'd journeyed to Prox and now she was going to be brainwashed just like he would be in mere moments. The sorrow that he'd held back for so long came back full force.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Garet close his and Jenna cry out in pain as the same happened to her. That was when he snapped. His body became tense with anger and glowed golden just like Isaac had at the top of the lighthouse. The chains around his wrists and feet burst apart and disappeared into the air.

"Stop him! He'll ruin everything!" Max cried out in frustration.

Alex, Trinity and the final mystery person charged at Felix, but he was already pulling out his sword and met them all head on. His powers seemed to have increased immensely somehow and he able to send each of them to the floor with a few quick slashes of his blade, even Alex. He turned his attention back to his friends only to find Max standing between him and them. He slowly pulled back the long sleeves that covered his arms, revealing that instead of having normal human arms, he had silvery arms made of metal. Max looked from Felix's surprised face to his arms that were lengthening and sharpening, creating two deadly blades that cut through the air effortlessly. With a smirk on his face, he began to walk towards Felix.

"Your turn Felix. Now, will you come along quietly or will we have to do this the hard way?"

"You'll never get away with this!"

"Hard way it is then."

* * *

Cliffhanger Alert! Cliffhanger Alert!

Jenna: NO! How could you do that to me and Garet?!

Remember, it's just a story and it isn't you.

Jenna: I know, but still. EVIL with a capital E!

Thank you! Review, you know you want to.

Jenna: Reviewing makes the world go round!

Thank you Jenna!


	12. A Turning Point

_Reviewing makes the world go round..._Damn it Jenna! Why did you have to sing that song? I can't get it out of my head!

Jenna: Well, soorrrryy! Hey, think about the new song by the 411. You know, 'Dumb'. It gets all other things out of your mind.

Ok, I'll give it a go. _That'd be dumb, diggy diggy di dumb, da don't want none..._Hey! It works. Now if only I could remember what I was going to do...

Jenna: Continue your story?

Oh, yes! Thank you my dear muse/alter ego.

Jenna: Anytime.

Sorian: Jenna is not evil! She's just...misunderstood. Well, that's what she says. Of course she can't beat you up, whatever you say. Finally, I'm glad you like the evil kid; he was meant to be evil so he's done his job well. Jenna, please feed the evil one.

Jenna: No way! He's mental! He keeps tapping his metal fingers together and calling himself Freddy. Who's Freddy?

Never mind. Thanks Sorian for your constant reviews. We love you. In a normal way of course...yes...normal way...

Jenna: Oracle don't own diddly squit!

**A Turning Point**

Four sets of wings carried their owners gracefully through the empty sky. The tall stonewalls of the Lemurian palace loomed before them which was where they were heading.

In the arms of Isaac and Karst hung Alicia's limp form, exhausted from her encounter with Sheba, but only partially unconscious. The fact that she continuously moved her body around was enough proof of that.

Sheba herself flew slowly beside Mia saying nothing. It seemed that she was still in a state of shock of what she'd done. To her, this flight was taking far too long. Despite her natural comfort of being in flight, she couldn't wait to land.

_I guess these new powers are at least good for something, _she thought.

Isaac glanced nervously at Sheba. He couldn't help feel entirely responsible for what had happened. It had been him who made her do it after all. He slowed down, much to Karst's annoyance, so he could fly next to the silent Jupiter Adept.

"Sheba...are you ok?"

A nod was her only answer.

"I'm really sorry Sheba. I didn't mean to put so much pressure on you, especially just after you'd blacked out. You're my friend and I shouldn't have put you through that. I'm really sorry."

"You already said that." Sheba's voice was much emptier than usual, but her cheerful tone had returned. They exchanged a smile, knowing that everything was fine once again. Isaac's gazed met Mia's. She gave him a reassuring nod to let him know that she was proud. It really was difficult for such a powerful warrior to show his emotions and ultimately his weaknesses, but he'd managed it.

"Sorry to interrupt your tender moment, but we're here," Karst exclaimed. They all looked ahead to where the massive palace stood, shadowing the rest of the city and appearing much more sinister than it had before. More than a dozen guards were now patrolling the main entrances, giving them very little choice of how to enter. Karst's idea of an all out attack didn't go down very well with the others leaving Isaac's surprise attack as their best bet.

Once they'd located an unguarded tower in the north of the palace and Mia was in her hidden position where she would wait and guard Alicia; Karst, Isaac and Sheba made their way slowly to the room with the teleportation pad. This took much longer than expected. The security had increased dramatically, securing the fact that their friends where definitely here.

Under the magic of Isaac's Cloak Ball, they crept down corridor after corridor; sometimes allowing Sheba to Mind Read a passing guard until they reached the desired room.

"So, what now?" Karst asked impatiently. She fell silent when she saw Isaac glare at her.

"We have to say the password," Sheba answered, carefully stepping on the ring in the middle of the room. Isaac and Karst followed her, their faces calm, but their true emotions were quite different.

Karst mentally debated with herself at the reason why there was a lack of guards around this area if this was indeed where the prisoners were. Perhaps the person responsible didn't want to be disturbed? She didn't know and this unnerved her.

Isaac was literally shaking in terror. He had no idea what had happened to his friends. What if they'd been hurt? Or worse? Images flashed through his mind, each one more horrible than the last. The images stopped suddenly when Sheba grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. Isaac looked at her face in surprise. Sheba had never really been very close to her. She usually stayed close to Jenna or Ivan, but just her touch managed to relax him slightly. It didn't have the soothing feel that Mia's hand gave him yet it still helped.

"Golden Sun," she said to no one in particular. Karst snorted with laughter.

"Figures that would be the password."

The symbols on the floor quickly lit up and a soft breeze picked up which surrounded them in seconds. In the very centre of the circle, a small opening was gradually appearing and was soon big enough for then to fit comfortably through. Stairs led away from them further down into the darkness.

Hesitating for only a moment, Isaac led them down, his heart in his throat and his palms very sweaty.

They couldn't have been walking for more than five minutes when Isaac slammed into a door at the base of the stairs. Rubbing his sore nose, he drew his sword and felt Karst do the same. Sheba gripped her staff that always hung from a sash by her side and gulped. Isaac counted down from three to one with his fingers then pushed open the door.

Once inside, an extraordinary sight met their eyes. Trinity, Alex and a nameless guard moaned in pain from the floor, Felix was dueling with Max who appeared to have swords for hands, and the other adepts were hanging unconscious from chains strapped to the wall.

"Karst! Sheba! Get the others free! I'll help Felix!" Isaac ordered. The girls nodded and rushed to the other side of the room while he made his way towards Felix and Max.

"It's about time you got here," the older Venus Adept growled as he ducked another well-aimed attack made by Max.

"Better late than never." Isaac grinned. He swung his Gaia Blade and was about to strike Max's unprotected left side when the dizzy feeling that he'd felt in the lighthouse returned at full power. It completely took over his senses, blurring his vision, stopping him in his tracks and numbing his mind.

Sensing Isaac's sudden weakness, Max jabbed his left arm towards him, which was only just blocked by Felix.

"Isaac? What's wrong?"

"It seems that the power binding potions are finally taking effect on the almighty Leaders," said Max while he pointed at Sheba who was experiencing similar problems. "Now, your legendary powers are nothing more than that of a common adept."

Isaac pulled up him heavy head to look into the cold eyes of his enemy.

"That doesn't mean I'm going to give up," he managed to mutter.

* * *

"Sheba?" Karst helped up the younger girl, concern showing on her red tinged face.

"I'm fine...I think." Sheba stumbled towards Ivan and grabbed his still chest for support. What happened next flashed past in an instant. She could feel Ivan flow into her with all of his strength. His voice, she could hear it in her head. It was very faint, but it was there.

_Sheba?_

_Ivan! Are you alright? What happened to you?_

_Trinity...she's in my mind...I can't control what I'll do._

_How are you speaking to me?_

_It's our connection...my free soul now resides in you...she can't control that. With my soul, I also give you my strength. She has taken yours, but mine still remains...use it._

_Ivan...thank you._

Her psynergy restored and the knowledge that Ivan was safe, she turned back to Karst who looked rather concerned for someone who didn't care about anyone but herself.

"Don't worry, it's Ivan. He spoke to me and he's ok, but we have to get the others out of here right now."

"Urm...ok." Karst gave her an extremely strange look, but did what she'd been told.

_Sheba, why is Karst helping us?_

_Save friends now, talk later._

Streams of flames shot from her Karst's hands, melting the chains around Garet and Piers' hands and feet. Sheba used small gusts of wind to break apart Ivan and Jenna's chains.

With the limp bodies in their arms, the two girls moved slowly back towards the door, but Trinity and Alex were already up and had blocked their path.

"Karst," Alex greeted the Proxian with a large grin on his face.

"Alex."

"I see you've changed sides. You're much more of a weakling than I first thought."

"At least I'm not doing a little kid's dirty work."

Alex's grin instantly disappeared at this remark.

"I think it's time for you to finish your job Trinity"

The younger girl's eyes glowed a rose pink and the four unconscious bodies began to move.

"Ivan?" asked Sheba while lifting his weightless head.

_What?_

_How can you move if your soul is inside me?_

..._Is that a trick question?_

_Never mind._

Sheba quickly pulled her hand away from his head when she saw his face. His eyes were completely void of any emotion or warmth. A pale deathly colour had taken over his cheeks, reminding Sheba of a body she'd once saw being buried in Lalivero. This wasn't the Ivan she knew. Garet, Jenna and Piers were exactly the same. They pulled away from Sheba and Karst's grip then just stood their without a thought in their empty minds.

"Now we'll see who's doing whose dirty work," said Alex.

A cry interrupted him. Max had just attempted to stab his right arm into a still weak Isaac, but the deadly point had rebounded off of Felix's sword and went deepinto his own chest and blood was now pouring through his robes onto the stained floor.

"Guys! Come on, this is our chance! We've got to get out of here!" Felix ordered. He grabbed Isaac around his waist and dragged him to his wobbly feet.

"But what about the others?" Sheba cried.

"There's no time. Get over here now!"

Visibly upset, Sheba nodded and dashed to his side with Ivan yelling in her mind about having to leave his body behind. Karst appeared to be more annoyed than sad. She obviously wanted to fight with Alex. He had, after all, abandoned her sister and Saturos, but she swallowed her warrior instincts and followed Sheba. They grabbed Felix's arm as he used Retreat to teleport out of the castle just as Alex had just made a dive for them. With nothing to grab, he flew through the air and hit the floor hard, cursing all the way.

* * *

_They've been gone for far too long. Where are they?_

Mia had been waiting with Alicia for a while now and still hadn't heard from the others. Not long ago, she'd felt the same weak feeling that had overcome Isaac and Sheba. It had left her powerless and vulnerable, but with the aid of Psynergy Crystal almost all of her psynergy had returned. Alicia had fully woken up soon after that and had been causing problems for Mia ever since.

"What are you thinking about Water Adept?" she asked quite suddenly, startling Mia out of her trail of thought.

"I don't think that is any of your business." This was beginning to tire her. Alicia had been asked completely pointless question ever since she'd woken. At first, it felt rather nice to chat, even if the main topic was how badly Alicia was going to beat up Mia's pretty face, but now it was just annoying. Also, the headache she'd received from the other girl's constant chatter wasn't helping. It was actually the only thing that was keeping her awake.

"You know, I could probably get out of these ropes if I wanted to."

"I doubt that. The Bind psynergy that Sheba used will make sure you'll never escape until someone else unties them for you."

"Well, untie me then."

Mia didn't even dignify that with an answer. This girl seemed to think she was some sort of stupid girly girl that couldn't even look after herself. This, of course, wasn't true.

Feeling insulted, Mia continued to convince herself that she was no idiot as her eyelids drooped lower. She was almost asleep when she heard a noise behind her. Turning, she watched as four people appeared out of nowhere.

"Guys!" she cried happily, rushing towards them, "You found Felix!"

"Yeah, but we need your help right now," he said sharply while lying Isaac on the ground, "Do you have a Psynergy Crystal for him?"

"Yeah, what happened?" She desperately pulled her small bag off of her belt and retrieved the small golden star.

"Did you feel very weak a few minutes ago?" Sheba asked, trying to calm Mia who'd begun to shake as she'd passed the crystal to Felix.

"Yeah...yeah, I did. What was that?"

"Apparently, we all drank a power binding potion, courtesy of Trinity, Alicia, Max and Alex."

"Alex? He's in on this too?"

"Yep, just met him down in the palace dungeons. They've got the others down there and Trinity has somehow used her psychic psynergy to control their minds."

Silence followed this statement, interrupted only by Isaac's moans as he regained his lost power and Alicia's cries which Karst went to them?" Mia was stunned. She moved into Isaac's comforting open arms. He looked up at Felix, equally shocked.

"What do we do now?"

"You're kidding! I thought you'd know, being the Venus Leader and all."

"No such luck mate."

"So, was Felix the only one you rescued?" Mia asked.

"Ye..."

"No." Everyone turned to Sheba who'd interrupted Isaac. She didn't return their gaze and looked at the floor instead.

"Sheba? What do you mean?" Felix had no idea what she was talking about. There was no one else around. How could they have rescued someone who wasn't even there?

"Well, technically, Felix wasn't the only one we rescued. We also rescued Ivan."

Everyone was dumbfounded. Even Karst came back to hear Sheba explain this one.

"I don't see him Sheba. Where exactly is he?" Isaac asked almost as if he was speaking to a young child.

"It's kinda hard to explain and I doubt you'll believe me, but after the binding potion took effect, I fell onto Ivan's chest and suddenly felt all of his energy flow into me. Then I could hear his voice in my mind. He said it was because of our connection and until his body has been released from Trinity's power, his soul will stay inside me."

Sheba's body unexpectedly went very stiff and lifeless.

"Sheba what's wrong?" asked Mia. She watched with the others as Sheba's head moved up and her hair slide away to reveal her face again. A normal person would never spot the difference, but her friends did. Her eyes were no longer the emerald green they remember them to be. They'd been replaced with familiar violet eyes that gleamed mischievously.

"Hi guys," said a voice that was very different from Sheba's.

"Ivan?" Isaac looked directly into the violet eyes with a sceptical look on his face. "Is that you?"

"No, it's Saturos. Of course it's me!"

"How can we believe you?" asked Felix. "I mean, assuming that you are currently sharing a body with Sheba, what if you're not Ivan and you're trying to trick us?"

"Oh, thanks Felix." Ivan pouted and rolled his eyes at the Venus Adept. "Fine, Isaac, ask me a question that only I would know."

"Ok then." Isaac grinned evilly as he remembered the day that he'd found out about Ivan's biggest secret. "Ivan had a 'friend' while he was growing up in Kalay. What was he and what was his name?"

Ivan's eyes widen and he shook Sheba's head fiercely.

"NO! I'm not answering. Isaac, you swore you'd never bring it up again. You promised!"

"Sorry, but no answer and no one will believe you."

"F...fine. M...my childhood friend was...was..."

"Come on Ivan, we'll have to rush you."

"He was... an imaginary rabbit called Mr. Dude-Sir! Alright! Happy now?"

(AN: Mr. Dude-Sir is of no relation to Mr. Fred-Sir in Vuvvles story. He is a name I came up with myself and is the name I call one of my teachers behind his back.)

"MR. DUDE-SIR?!" Felix was down on the floor instantly, laughing along side Isaac who was nodding.

"That's Ivan alright."

Even Mia and Karst couldn't help giggling at this.

"I'm so gonna kill you Isaac!"

"Of course you are," Isaac replied through the tears that were running down his face as he continued to laugh.

* * *

Ah, comedy. How I love it!

Jenna: MR. DUDE-SIR?! Ivan is never gonna hear the end of this one. Just wait til Garet hears about it!

Now, now. Play nice. Ok readers and loyal reviewers, I have a very important notice. This school year is unfortunately my GCSE year, which means extra work and less time for fanfiction. I know you're all very sad, but I will try to remember to update as quickly as I can. Also, I am jetting off to Spain tomorrow, which will mean that this chapter is the last one you'll get for a while. GRIEVE AND MOVE ON! I hope I'll have plenty of nice LONG reviews by the time I get back so get to work. TTFN!


	13. A Painful Choice

* * *

My fellow fanfictors, your queen is back.

Jenna: QUEEN? Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shush! Anyway, I'm back from Spain and ready for some action. But apparently my school heard this and has loaded me down with so much homework it's unbelievable!

Jenna: Excuses, excuses!

Ok, if you're gonna be mean to me I won't let you talk to your public.

Jenna: ......I can live with that.

Fine then. I'll stop any flameshipping in my story.

Jenna: YOU WOULDN'T!

Try me.

Jenna: ......

That's better. Ok, so because of my evil teachers there might be a short delay in my updates, but don't worry, I won't fail you.

Sorian: I'm not leaving you! Or, I didn't leave you. I just took a well-earned break, but I'm back now so happy faces all around! Are you questioning my normality? Ok, so my friends are scared to be alone with me, but that doesn't mean anything. Right? Guys? Come back!

(A.N. I have a special note for all readers. Because of the whole 'Ivan in Sheba's body' thing, which I think is a stroke of genius; I must show you an example of the confusing speak marks that will be used in the future. No thanks necessary, but they're greatly appreciated.)

"Normal speech"

(Ivan talking through Sheba)

_Thoughts_

_Sheba 'thinking' to Ivan_

_**Ivan 'thinking' to Sheba**_

Get it, got it, good! On to the story!

Jenna: Queen! Oh man, that was funny! Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun.

**A Painful Choice**

"They got away."

In the dungeon, the three adepts had finally recovered from the surprise attack. Alex placed his cool hands over Max's chest and quickly healed the stab wound. As soon as it was gone, his sword hands melted away to become normal hands again. The extra metal spread across his skin, up his arms and covered his torso in thick armour.

"I'm aware of that Trinity," said Max in a very irritated voice. "How many escaped?"

"Two. Felix and apparently Ivan. We may have his body, but the girl, Sheba, was able to take his soul."

"Jupiter adepts, how I hate them." Max bitterly fingered the rip in his robe which unfortunately hadn't been repaired with his wound. "So now both wind users are free as well as both earth users?"

"Yes, but luckily this means that Ivan's soul will not be able to fight off my psynergy and will be completely under my control," Trinity explained, desperate to redeem herself. "He will fight his friends until his end or theirs if I command him to."

"Excellent. What about Alicia? Where is she?" Alex stepped forward to answer this question.

"I believe she is a captive of the opposing team."

"Them again. Alex, I thought you said that Karst would join us."

"That was a minor miscalculation of mine which I have taken into account, but the end is inevitable. We shall have the ultimate power no matter what they do."

"Good, good. Now, since we must attend to some business in Prox, could you please instruct our new friends to eliminate the pests Trinity?"

"It would be my pleasure." She turned to the still figures that stood in the shadows behind her, each of them wearing matching blank. "Alright, Ivan, Garet, Jenna and Piers. Come here now."

The four adepts snapped into life and approached her like a line of soldiers. Emotionlessly, they fell still again, waiting for their next command.

"Your mission is to capture and bring the remaining adepts to Prox where we will wait for you. Use force if you must, I doubt they will attack you, but do not kill them and do not fail."

Although deep in the darkened eyes of Jenna, Garet and Piers, sparks of pain shone, they nodded at Trinity's instructions with the soulless Ivan. They watched Alex, Max and Trinity glow blue then disappear in Alex's warp psynergy before they moved silently towards the door and left the dark dungeon.

* * *

"So Sheba, what's it like sharing a body with Ivan? Isn't it cramped?"

While the group rested on a cliff to the right of Lemuria's castle to watch for any movement from the mighty palace, Isaac, Felix and Mia had continued to question the Wind Adepts about Ivan's new living arrangements. Karst had volunteered to watch the now sleeping Alicia, but it was clear that she was listening to the interesting yet confusing conversation.

"Well, it kind of hard to explain. Imagine sharing a toy as a child. You have to take it in turns and two people can't really use it at ," said Isaac, pulling Mia's body towards him from his spot on the ground until she was almost on his knee. "Can you talk to Ivan, you know, privately?"

"What? In my mind? Yeah, I can. It feels really weird though, as if I'm talking to myself and I'm actually answering."

Once more, violet eyes took the place of Sheba's green ones.

(You want to know what's even weirder?) asked Ivan's voice as he pulled his legs out of Sheba's uncomfortable meditation position and lay them on the dirt-covered floor instead. (I can actually sense where my body is.)

"WHAT?!" Felix and Isaac jumped to their feet causing Mia to fall off of Isaac's lap and Ivan to jump back in surprise.

(Calm down! What do you mean 'what'?) Ivan asked curiously once he'd got comfortable again.

"You know where your body is? Why didn't you say sooner? The others could be close to where we are!" exclaimed Isaac.

(I would of, but there was a lot on my mind...our minds. It's getting rather crowded in her head with my thoughts added to hers.)

"That doesn't excuse you!" Felix grabbed Ivan by the top of Sheba's favourite robe and hauled him up into the air so that liquid brown eyes met sparkling purple ones. "If I lose my sister..." He couldn't finish.

_Ivan, let me take over!_

"Felix, it's me, Sheba. Will you let me down now?"

Felix slowly lowered Sheba to the floor and dropped onto his knees, sobbing into his sleeves as he did. No tears had escaped his eyes as he'd watched his sister and friends go under Trinity's control, but the pain the action had caused was finally having an effect on him.

Sheba wrapped her arms around his shaking chest while muttering comforting words into his ear. Karst looked on in indifference and Mia moved into Isaac's arms once more knowing that Felix wasn't the only one who needed comfort. Isaac felt exactly the same way. Jenna and Garet were lifelong friends of his and even Piers had become a member of their team. He wasn't going to let any of them be held in Alex's slimy clutches for much longer.

Mia screamed suddenly and Isaac instantly pulled her aside looking around for the attacker. The only thing that gave him any clues was a scorch mark on the floor, inches away from where Mia had just stood. Although the attack would have done some lasting damage to the Water Adept, it was curious that it had missed even though Mia had been standing still.

Grabbing his sword from his side, Isaac looked all around for the person who'd tried to take a shot at Mia while making sure that she was constantly behind him for protection. Felix and Karst quickly joined him. An eerie silence followed Mia's scream as the adepts searched the surrounding landscape. Yet Sheba appeared more interested in the scorch mark.

_Wind Psynergy? _She silently asked Ivan.

_**Definitely. I'd say Tempest, which was one of my most powerful attack. Be careful Sheba and please don't damage my body too much.**_

Sheba visibly nodded and grabbed her rod from the floor where she'd left it.

"Guys, I think I know who it is..."

But the others already knew. Standing on a small ledge that jutted out at a strange angle above them was Ivan. He emotionlessly stared at them, his hand still held out from his attack. Lowering it slowly, he suddenly leapt into the air, did a neat somersault and landed in front of them.

"Ivan?" Sheba called out, moving towards the blonde boy.

"That isn't Ivan, remember? It's his empty body, not his soul. He's inside of you," Isaac reminded her with his sword still held high, but he seemed reluctant to use it.

Sheba was about to say something when two jets of flames surrounded them and cut them off from Ivan. They turned to face Jenna, Garet and Piers with heavy hearts. Felix couldn't hold back his emotions any longer and found himself flat out running towards his sister.

"Jenna," he whispered as he pulled her into a hug. "Please be alright."

At first he thought everything was alright. Jenna didn't struggle against him even if she didn't hug him back, but he was wrong. A hand swiftly flew through the air and made contact with Felix's cheek. It was accompanied by a noise that sounded like a clap of thunder and left a red handprint on his face. Tears sprung to Felix's eyes and he couldn't help gaze at Jenna with a clearly hurt look. He reached up and gingerly touched the red area.

"Why Jenna?" he mumbled sadly.

"I must obey," was all she said in a voice that had none of the warmth it used to.

From their right, Piers had pulled out a small object that everyone recognized as a sleep bomb. He threw it at the group before him and watched them cough in the thick bluish haze. In moments, they had collapsed on the floor, unconscious and trapped.

* * *

Far to the north of Weyard in the snowy reaches past Imil lies a town named Prox. It is like Imil in many ways; it stands guard over one of the four elemental lighthouses and is the home of another clan, the mighty Fire Clan of the North.

The icy winds were growing more and more dangerous as the elements remained in their unbalanced state and the Mars Lighthouse was left unlit. It was uncommon to see anyone roaming the streets in such cold conditions, yet three strangers to Prox were out in the worst storm ever seen in those parts.

A tall man urged two younger children towards the inn and finally managed to push them inside. Out of the storm at last, they removed their fur-trimmed hoods and surveyed the interior of the small inn. Only four other people had taken shelter in this building that night. Two of them were quietly playing cards at a wooden table; the third was nothing more than a small child stirring soup in a pot over a roaring stove, and the fourth was a heavily cloaked figure sitting in the furthest corner away from the door.

The owner of the inn, a well built man with strange greenish skin, approached them from his place behind a counter and warmly greeted them.

"Welcome travelers to the inn of Prox. Please, warm yourselves by the fire and let me take your cloaks. I hope you stay until the storm passes. It really is terrible isn't it?"

"Yeah..." answered Alex vaguely as Trinity and Max rushed past him to be closer to the warmth. He was more interested in the cloaked figure that had turned towards the group as they had entered. Alex calmly walked over to the figure and sat down on a nearby chair without saying a word. The silence continued as the two simply stared at each other. The mysterious figure's face may had been hidden in shadows, but two bright red eyes shone through and seemed to bear a great weight on Alex's senses. The Water Adept blinked and broke their intense gaze before speaking.

"You wanted to see me, so, talk."

"I'm aware of your quest and may be of some use to you," a deep growling male voice said from beneath the layers of clothing. "But I want to make deal with you before I share my strengths."

"I'm listening."

"I'll tell you what I can do if you count me in on the power gained at the end of your quest."

"It all depends on your abilities."

"I can get you the Mars Star."

"The Mars Adept, Karst, has it."

"I know."

"How can you get it?"

"I have my ways. Is it a deal?"

"Tell me who you are and I'll agree."

The stranger paused for a brief moment then nodded. A large hand snaked its way out of the folds in his cloak and pulled away the hood that hid his face. It fell back and none other than Agatio.

"I used to work with Karst as you know. She will trust me."

"Fine."

The two men quickly shook hands and Alex stood up. He called to Trinity and Max who hurried to his side, grumbling slightly. With one last look at the brawny Mars Adept, Alex disappeared back into the storm with the younger adepts following closely.

* * *

Another one bites the dust! Yes, I'm finally done for the day and your new chapter is up for your viewing pleasure. Man, it feels good to be back in the game, don't you think Jenna?

Jenna: I'm tired, it's late, will you please go to bed now?

Yep. After one last note.

Jenna: I hate you.

People, please. It really simple. Just...push...the...little...button...and...I...will...update...quickly. Told you it was simple. R&R.


	14. The Mars Lighthouse

Wow, it's been a while since I last updated.

Jenna: You're telling me!

Sorry. I'm trying, I really am. Between homework and writing, I barely have time to breathe.

Jenna: Well, you could stop breathing.

Ha Ha!

Mercury Gold: Glad to see you reviewing again, yay! Don't worry; I'd never hurt the poor little characters. I was wondering if anyone was going to ask this question. I didn't really explain the eye thing very well and I'm very sorry for that so here's the explanation. When the Leaders are using their new powers, flying and stuff, their eyes are the colour of their element, but when they're not, they're the normal colour. If I didn't do this, the Sheba/Ivan mind switching would be hard to figure out. Ok, there you go, all sorted.

Sorian: I'M NORMAL! You know, I would have expected you to know about the annoying white box, but hey, you learn something new everyday!

Joker: Hi Joker! Yep, Agatio working for Alex. It's so crazy it just might work. ! Nah, I love your compliments and hope you love the compliments I give you.

(Again, here's the list of speech thingys incase anyone gets confused.

"Normal speech"

(Ivan talking through Sheba)

_Thoughts_

_Sheba 'thinking' to Ivan_

_**Ivan 'thinking' to Sheba**_

Peace out y'all.)

Jenna: If Oracle owned Golden Sun, Isaac would be her slave, so would Felix, and Piers...and Ivan...hang on! What about Garet?! Isn't he good enough for you?!

No, he's for you.

Jenna: Oh yeah. So, if Oracle owned Golden Sun, we'd never get anything done, so let's be thankful she doesn't.

**The Mars Lighthouse**

Something threw Isaac hard onto the floor and his eyes shot open. The amount of psynergy holding him down was almost unbearable. It pinned him to the ground making it impossible for him to get up.

_No, it isn't psynergy,_ he thought.

As the feeling came back into his tired body, he pushed hard again whatever was holding him down and something fell off of his back. That something happened to be Felix. Luckily, the older Venus Adept wasn't injured, but merely asleep. Karst and Sheba were in the same state a few meters away while Mia knelt next to him, anxiously waiting for him to get up. Her hair was slightly ruffled and her dress was ripped, but otherwise she was fine.

"Are you ok?" she asked, helping him into a sitting position.

"Yeah, I guess. Did you see the cart that hit me?"

Mia smiled weakly at the joke. For the first time, Isaac looked around the room they were in. The main features of the completely circular room were the three angel statues, which stood in a row in the centre of the room, each holding a sword and a shield.

To their left and right where two staircases, completely identical, leading up to a higher level. A chilling wind came from the top of these staircases and Isaac shivered despite the warm clothes he was wearing. Apart from them, the rest of the room was bare. There was no other exit in the stonewalls or anything to cover the stone floor.

Sheba, Felix and Karst slowly woke making groans of pain and rubbing their sore bodies. After a few minutes, they joined Isaac and Mia wearing confused expressions.

"So, does anyone know where we are?" Sheba asked.

"The Mars Lighthouse." Everyone turned to Karst. She was staring intently at the three statues. "I've been here before. Those stairs take you to the aerie."

"And what about those statues?" Isaac asked her, following her gaze.

"They are the forgotten ones, locked away in the lighthouse until their true descendants come to awake them. It's an old tale that the elders of Prox used to tell the kids. Once, the three adepts lived with the other four when only the seven were alive, but their thoughts about power were different. They believed that the power of the Golden Sun should be saved for those most worthy and not everyone. The adepts of Venus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter disagreed and they fought. After years of war, the three adepts were locked in the final lighthouse far in the north and were guarded by the strong Mars warrior. The Golden Sun shone brightly as did the four elemental lighthouses that divided the four elements. More adepts were born and the four clans grew. The three adepts were forgotten, but their will survived in three children that bore their ancestors powers. I know Alex's plan. He wants Trinity, Alicia and Max to release the lost powers."

No one spoke for a while after this speech. Isaac and Felix walked over to the statues to examine them further while the girls sat down to rest after their forced capture. For the first time, Mia and Karst had an actually conversation. Being opposing elements, they thought they'd have little in common, but they shared the same views on several issues.

"How long has your clan stood beside the Mercury Lighthouse?"

"For centuries. I don't know the actually amount of years, but I've been told it's been there long before any records were made. Is it really true that my clan is the descendants of the original Mercury Adept?"

"Yeah. It's hard to believe, but it's true."

Next to them, Sheba gave a small gasp and looked at her friends.

"We can sense people up there on the aerie, eight people."

(And one of them is Trinity) Ivan added.

Felix's eyes filled with anger by this and he ran as fast as possible to the right staircase.

"Come on!" he called over his shoulder while running up the steps. No one wanted to argue with him when he was like this so they quickly rushed after him.

The light coming from the top of the stair was blinding and it took them a few seconds to blink their eyes in vain before they could see once again. They were finally at the top of the final lighthouse. It looked very similar the other three and gave off the same powerful vibes that streamed through them like a wave of heat. The small hovering steps led from the stairs to the hole where the Elemental Star would soon shine from and a group of people stood in front of it. Felix had become very still and didn't move when Isaac tapped his shoulder.

"Felix...what...." Isaac started, but Felix simply shook his head slowly and continued to look at the eight people. Isaac peered past his friend and growled when he saw Alex, Trinity, Alicia and Max standing with their mind controlled friends.

"Well, it's good to see the whole gang back together again," said Alex, his arms held out wide in a gesture of welcome.

Isaac instantly lunged at the Mercury adept, his wings cutting through the air at his sides and his eyes glowing with the power of Venus. Felix and Karst only just managed to stop him before he'd done something stupid, but Isaac had stopped anyway. His eyes had returned to their original sea blue colour and they were desperately searching the empty face of Jenna who'd jumped in front of Alex when he'd started his attack. Jenna simply stared back while she held her staff across her chest defensively.

"Jenna!" Isaac called out from behind his friends grip. "Snap out of it! I know you, we're friends, you wouldn't let an evil freak and his flunkies control you! Please listen to me!"

"I'm truly hurt Isaac," Alex sneered. "You might as well save your strength. You'll need it if you want your friend back and Felix wants his precious sister back." He placed his hand on her shoulder and watched her turn to face him. Without waiting, Alex moved in and gave her a long kiss. He finally pulled away with a look of pleasure on his face, which increased when he saw Isaac and Felix's faces.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER!" Felix cried, practically attacking Karst to get past her an get his hands on the slimy creep that had just kissed his sister. Karst was still desperately trying to hold Isaac back, but somehow managed to stop them both. Alex laughed at their attempts at revenge and folded his arms.

"Your little sister has made her choice Felix, accept that. Now, if you will, light the final beacon."

"I won't do anything for you Alex," Felix replied, saying his enemy's name as if it was something foul and disgusting.

"Then I guess I'll have to force you. But wait! You don't have the Mars Star, do you?"

There was a pause where Felix glanced nervously at Isaac.

"And neither does Isaac," Alex continued.

Karst's eyes widened and she checked her pocket where she'd placed the star. A satisfied nod told the others that it was still there.

"Karst!" Everyone turned at the new voice and the Proxian in question gave a gasp of happiness.

"Agatio! I'm so glad you're here. What happened? Where'd you go?"

"No where important." The green skinned man walked away from the stairs the others had walked up minutes ago and stopped next to his partner. "I'm glad you're ok."

"You'd better have a good excuse for your actions after the beacon has been lit," Karst replied sharply, but the twinkle in her eyes betrayed her true emotions.

Suddenly, Agatio left Karst's side and approached Alex instead. The two men smiled at each other as if sharing a secret that no one else knew. They turned to face the group and a confused Karst.

"Maybe you should check your pocket now," Alex said.

Karst quickly did as he said and her confusion turned to horror when she found the pocket empty.

"How..."

"I do believe I am responsible for that." Agatio grinned and held up the shinning orb that was the beautiful Mars Star. With a flick of his wrist, he threw it into Alex's outstretched hand and continued to stare at Karst.

"Agatio...why? I thought you said you'd help me. What about your promise? You promised to stay by my side and help me save Prox."

"Things change, promises are broken. Alex can offer me much more than the chief of Prox can. I desire power which is what I will get."

Alex nodded and put his empty hand around Agatio's shoulder.

"Agatio know what he wants. Maybe you should all think about what you desire sometime." His eyes shifted from adept to adept until they landed on Isaac. A smirk appeared on his face that made Isaac's blood boil.

"The only thing I want is you dead and my friends back!" Isaac cried.

"Then prove it and let our fight begin."

* * *

Trinity had been idly watching the scene before her with Alicia and Max, glancing every so often at Piers who she'd taken a liking to. It took her a while to realise Alex and the new guy that looked as if he'd been violently ill because of his unusual green face were looking at her. She returned their gaze quite blankly.

"What?" she finally asked.

"It's time to fight, Trinity which means we require the power that only you unfortunately can use," Alex replied angrily, his face a picture of hatred.

Catching his drift, she sheepishly shrugged her shoulders and waved her arms towards the group behind her. At her command, they came to life and awaited further instructions.

"Kill the adepts!" Alex roared.

"You heard the man, kill the adepts!" repeated Trinity.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, but I'm really stuck for ideas at the moment. I promise the next one will be longer.

Jenna: If there is a next one.

Isn't there a Garet for you to stalk?

Jenna: No, he's gone out, but I'll get him, when he returns. MWAHAHAHA!

Garet beware. She's coming for you.

Jenna: Remember, reviewing stories is like food. The more you give the fatter she gets...

HEY!

Jenna: ...urm, I mean, the faster she writes, but no sugar. That makes her CRAZY!

Bye for now.


	15. Important notice

Hello everyone, Oracle here and I have a special message for you all.

Jenna: You're retiring?

You wish. No, I've finally got round to reading my own story and I've noticed a great deal of errors which I'm sorry for. I have now rewritten parts and have corrected any major spelling errors. I'm afraid this means you may have to reread sections of my story, but it will make more sense now.


	16. Fight of Fate

Hi guys, Oracle is back!

Jenna: YAY! WOOOHOOO!!!

Gosh! You're happy!

Jenna: Well, I've been delving into your memories and I've found out what's gonna happen.

Don't tell the audience!

Jenna: Why not?

It's meant to be a surprise!

Jenna: AWWWWWW!!!!

You're a real pain, you know that?!

Jenna: Yep! :)

Mercury Gold: Oh yeah! I'm quaking in my boots! Thanks for the nice comment though. It took me ages to write a good explanation for the new elements and I'm glad my fans appreciate it.

Sorian: Dude...you is mental like the tropical fruit drink! Oh and FYI, if I stopped breathing, how would I continue my fic? Huh?

(Boring bit:

"Normal speech"

(Ivan talking through Sheba)

_Thoughts_

_Sheba 'thinking' to Ivan_

_**Ivan 'thinking' to Sheba**_

Thank god that's over! Let's get this party started people!)

Jenna: Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun, now shush. I wanna know what happens. Pass the popcorn.

**Fight of Fate**

Instantly, Piers, Garet, Jenna and Ivan charged forward towards their friends with their weapons raised and their psynergy ready to be unleashed. They split up to face their chosen opponent who would fight them one-on-one. Each of them wore a face of indifference, but inside they were silently screaming at their friends for help and forgiveness for what they were about to do.

Isaac looked at his friends, all of them, and grinned at the determination in their eyes, even those that were fighting on the opposing side. No matter who won this battle, he would be glad to have such amazing friends that were willing to go through so much to save this world they lived in. This thought brought strength to his body and hope to his soul. But when he saw the fight begin, that hope disappeared.

A frightened Mia visibly shook as the powerful form of Piers advanced on her. She quickly blocked his sword with the handle of her staff only to be hit with a barrage of sharp icicles. A particularly large shard of ice flew past her face leaving a long, ugly cut that brought colour to her usually pale skin. She didn't even have time to heal herself before Piers attacked again, knocking her to the floor with a blast of water. He was much faster than she'd thought and he didn't seem to be tiring while she, on the other hand, had beads of sweat dripping down her face. Piers' attacks were ruthless and non-stop leaving Mia gasping for air on her knees.

To Mia's left, Karst fought effortlessly against Garet, matching each strike of his blade with her scythe and dodging around him like an elegant dancer. But she had mistaken him for being slow and clumsy. As she dashed to his side again he shot a stream of fire at her which she ducked under. Unfortunately, she didn't see the fireball flying towards her and she disappeared in the flames only to emerge angrier than before. Having no proper relationship with her opponent apart from what she'd heard, she was fully prepared to fight her hardest. She struck hard and fast, giving Garet no chance to attack. After a while, she saw her desired effect. Her continuous left sided attacking had made him leave his right side unprotected and she took this advantage and darted suddenly to the left, slashing at his side and creating a long cut that went through his protective armour. Garet turned his head slowly to look blankly at the blood that had begun to stain his tunic before resuming the battle.

Like Mia, Sheba had decided to go for the defensive rather than offensive approach, using her staff only to defend. But for her this fight was much more difficult. Not only did she have the fight someone who she'd only recently developed strong emotions for, she also had that same person barking orders to her in her mind. Ivan was becoming more of a pain than a help. He constantly told her how to fight and what she should do while telling her not to hit so hard. Combined with her own thoughts, she could barely concentrate on the fight itself. The two Jupiter Adepts appeared evenly matched. Whenever Ivan sent a bolt of energy at her, she would do the same to protect herself and cancel out the attack. Their staffs struck each other like swords, forcing them away from each other with each blow. Each time they raced back and attacked again. Although, Sheba appeared to be having more and more trouble getting there first and kept tripping over her feet.

_**Come on Sheba! You can do this! Stay strong!**_

_Thanks Ivan..._ Sheba thought back, feeling slightly better just by hearing his voice. She rushed forward as the mind controlled Ivan did the same. Once again, their staffs clashed with such a force it sent Sheba to the floor. She groaned as she rolled onto her back and brushed the dirt off of her clothes only to be stopped by a long golden rod. Ivan stared down at her with no sympathy in his eyes and that was when she saw it. His eyes weren't blank. They were filled with hatred that spread across his face. He sneered at her and prepared to begin his assault.

"Wait!" she cried. "Why do I see emotion on your face? I thought Trinity was controlling you."

"She is, but I, unlike the others, have nothing to stop me completing my mistress' commands."

Like a bolt of lightening, he shot forward with his staff, only to hit the hard ground when Sheba rolled to the side. Growling in anger, Ivan attempted to hit Sheba again and again, but missed each time. Sheba kept rolling further across the floor until she suddenly felt the ground beneath her fall away. Their fight had reached the edge of the aerie with only the last few inches of rock left between her and the second plunge from a lighthouse in her lifetime. But this time, Felix wasn't there to help her. Ivan was walking slowly towards her, the sneer still plastered on his face.

"Say goodbye, Sheba," he said calmly.

**_SHEBA! NO!_** Ivan quickly forced his way through Sheba's mind and took over her body.

_Ivan...what are you doing?_

_**Saving you!**_

Bolts of pure Jupiter psynergy surrounded Sheba's body as Ivan tapped into her powers and brought it all together in one attack.

"I'm sorry I gotta do this to myself, but...SHINE PLASMA!"

The sparks grew and formed one large shield around Sheba's body before splitting up and striking Ivan instead. A muffled cry came from his direction and when the last traces of the attack disappeared, Ivan's soulless body hung limply in the air before falling to the ground in a heap.

"IVAN!" Sheba cried, regaining control of her body. She ran to the unconscious figure and lifted his head into her lap. As soon as she touched his soft skin, her own body went rigid and stiff. It felt as if something was passing from Sheba to Ivan. When it stopped, Sheba watched Ivan slowly open his eyes and look up at her.

"Sheba?" he whispered.

"Is that really you Ivan?"

"I think so."

Sheba grinned and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. She smiled even more when he returned the hug. Suddenly, he pulled away and their eyes met.

"It's rather strange speaking to you like this after you've spent so much time in my mind," admitted Sheba while she leaned in to continue their hug. "I really missed looking into your amazing eyes." But Ivan held her back and smiled at her confusion. She was about to question his actions when he placed his index finger over her mouth. His smile grew as he leaned in himself and kissed her. They parted soon after, both of them dazed and extremely happy.

A cry brought them out of their stunned state and they looked towards the other fights that were still going on around them. It was Felix and he appeared to be the only person not fighting at all. Jenna was hitting him as hard as possible with her staff and psynergy. Her brother was sprawled across the ground covered with cuts, bruises and serious burns. His left eye was nothing more than bruised skin and his right had tears streaming from it.

"Please, Jenna," he pleaded with her. "Stop it! I'm your brother! Don't you recognize me?"

Jenna shook her head and held up her staff once more. Prepared for what was going to happen, he shielded his head with his damaged arms and closed his eyes. But nothing happened. He looked up and was surprised to see Ivan and Sheba desperately trying to hold Jenna back.

"Let her," he murmured. "She's partly doing this because of her own intensions. If she gets rid of her emotions, she'll realise what she's doing and will come back to me."

"And what if she doesn't?" Ivan asked, struggling against Jenna's strength.

"Then I'll have to think of something else." Felix got up shakily and cast cure over his larger wounds. He pushed Sheba aside and faced Jenna with only Ivan stopping her now. Her arms reached out and tried to get to he brother while she hit Ivan repeatedly with her staff.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

With a shrug of his shoulders, Ivan quickly let go of Jenna's arms, allowing her to rush towards Felix. But with an amazing burst of speed, Sheba grabbed Jenna's rod and pulled it out of her grasp. This startled Jenna yet she wasn't about to give up. She continued towards Felix with anger in her eyes. Felix could see this and simply let her come. Fists rammed into his chest and face, opening up his freshly healed wounds and causing more damage. But now, there were words mixed in with her attacks.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me? Why did you leave me?"

"I never wanted to, it wasn't my decision. If I left they would have killed our parents and I would have died in the cold north. I never meant to hurt you."

"You could have sent news, anything that would have told me I wasn't alone." Tears were streaming down her face from eyes that shone with emotion once again.

"Please forgive me Jenna. I'm so sorry."

In a moment the scene changed. Jenna was no longer attacking her brother. Instead, they were clinging to each other, sobbing for forgiveness. Jenna's suddenly gave way and she pulled them both to the floor where they continued to hug, together at last.

* * *

From across the aerie, Isaac had taken time out of his own fight to silently watch the touching scene. Two of his friends had been turned back to their normal state of mind and he wasn't going to stop there. He turned back to where Trinity, Alicia and Max were getting up after his last attack. Alex and Agatio were watching from a distance, observing how he fought. But Isaac didn't care about them right now. He was going to get his friends back from Trinity even if he had to do something drastic.

With his wings spread out wide, he launched an aerial attack. His sword cut through the air in an arch, splitting his opponents' weapons in half, even Max's sword-like fingers. Knowing they were defeated, the trio took a step back before running to the two older men for protection.

Isaac could just hear Alex say, "Worthless children. I've had just enough of this."

"NO!" Isaac cried out as Alex threw the Mars Star into the hole where it fell into the very center of the lighthouse.

For a moment, nothing happened. The fight between Karst and Garet continued, and the others were trying to prevent Piers from hurting Mia further. Isaac desperately wanted to go help, but it felt as if he was stuck to the ground. A quick glance in Trinity's direction told him why. That was when it happened. The floor began to shake uncontrollably and light poured out of the hole. Slowly, the Star rose up and took its rightful place as the beacon of the final lighthouse.

"Finally Isaac, you will see the true might of the hidden psynergy combined with those you have grown up knowing," Alex cried before laughing loudly.

Below them, another rumbling began, which grew with each second that passed. As if out of nowhere, the three statues that had stood in the room beneath them appeared through the solid floor and rose up into the air. They slowly reshaped their selves and changed from angels to three minature versions of the Elemental Lighthouses.

"And now to light the final lighthouses." Alex turned from the extraordinary sight to Trinity, Alicia and Max who stood behind him. "Touch your lighthouse and accept your destiny," he instructed them.

The trio nodded and took off into the air. In mere moments, they were each floating beside their corresponding lighthouse and after the count of three; they placed their hands flat on the aeries of the lighthouses. Again, nothing happened and Alex's grin became a frown of confusion and worry. But the smile returned after what happened next. Each of the younger adepts disappeared suddenly in three flashes of bright light leaving nothing except the floating lighthouses. At the top of these lighthouses, three balls shone indicating that the Elemental Stars of Psy, Life and Metal were now in place.

With his hands held out above him, Alex felt the power being released from the lighthouses and groaned as it entered his waiting body. He glowed momentarily then returned to normal. His power filled eyes turned to Isaac and flashed with anger.

"You'll now receive the punishment that you've deserved for such a long time now," he growled in a voice that could still be recognized as Alex's, but it was so much deeper and menacing.

A cry came from behind them, disturbing their conversation and causing them to turn to look for the source of the sound. Piers and Garet were blinking innocently at Karst and Mia who were both breathing heavily after their fights. Jenna ran to Garet and flung her arms around him happily, obviously over her own ordeal. Still confused, Garet asked her what had happened which she answered with a quick kiss on his lips making him blush. Piers walked over to Felix who was glaring at the couple while Ivan and Sheba laughed cheekily.

"What happened?" Piers asked Felix.

"You don't remember?"

"Well, I seem to recall being attached to a wall in a very small room and then everything went black. Are we at the top of the Mars Lighthouse?"

"Yeah..."

Unfortunately, Felix didn't have a chance to continue as a second voice had risen above his own.

"SILENCE!" Alex cried. A wave of intense power washed over them, bringing every adept to their knees. "You will all bow before me and be silent."

To everyone's surprise, they did just that. Even the Elemental Leaders placed their hands on the floor to bow down before Alex.

Isaac's eyes flashed with anger as he struggled to get up, but his limbs weren't responding to him. He tried to call out to the others and found that even his voice had failed him.

"Much better," Alex said. He walked past each of the kneeling adepts then turned and walked back to Isaac. "I could destroy you all now, but where would be the fun in that? No, I think I'd rather get rid of the heart of your team leaving it defenseless and weak. That way, none of you would even try to defeat me. I would be all-powerful. But how to do this."

His gaze was locked on Isaac and a truly evil smile spread across his face. Kneeling down so that he was on the same level as his rival, he looked into Isaac's blue eyes that portrayed all the hatred the young adept had for him. Alex took power from this fury and leant forward until his lips were centimeters away from Isaac's left ear.

"Say goodbye to your friends Isaac, since you won't be seeing them again."

With these last words, Alex lifted the sword by Isaac's side and stabbed it forward, through his armour and into his soft chest.

Still, no words escaped Isaac's lips as his eyes widened and he felt the blood leave his body as well as his life. Having no need to hold him back anymore, the power that forced him to the floor disappeared allowing him to fall onto his bleeding chest.

Alex kicked the body disrespectfully and walked back to Agatio who'd been watching the scene with mild interest.

"Come on, the Golden Sun will be rising soon and we have to be at the top of Mount Aleph if we want it's power."

Agatio nodded and took his place next to Alex as he warped away from the aerie.

As soon as the last sparkles of the water psynergy vanished, each of the eight adepts came back to life in an explosion of noise.

"ISAAC!" Mia cried out desperately. She rushed to his side with Garet, Ivan and Jenna. Each one had a great deal of tears in their eyes as they surrounded their fallen leader. Mia pulled him up and onto her lap with his head leaning against her chest. "Please be alright, please!"

Her hands shone brightly with her psynergy, which spread to his open wound, but nothing happened. The gash remained and continued to bleed. Mia's tears increased when she realised she'd lost her true love and she threw her arms around him. She sadly allowed her head to droop onto his wild hair, which was quite damp from her tears.

Garet gently held a clearly upset Jenna while his own eyes threatened to water as well. He had lost his best friend and they had no way of reviving him. Alex was right; he had destroyed the heart of their team.

Not far behind them, Sheba beat her fists against the stone floor in frustration. Felix and Piers watched in silent grief and even Karst was crying with her back turned to the group.

_What will we do? _everyone thought. _Now that Isaac is dead._

_

* * *

_

Hate me if you must.

Jenna: ...HOW COULD YOU?!

Hey, life is tough. I write tough. Deal with it.

Jenna: But this is pure evil!

I know and I'm sorry, but you might all get a shock.

Jenna: I...what?

I'm saying no more. You'll have to wait and see.

Jenna: But...

Saying no more. R&R readers or you'll never find out what happens.


	17. A Fallen Hero

Hello people. Never fear, Oracle is here.

Jenna: I'm not talking to you!

Are you still mad about that?

Jenna:

Oh, come on! You can't be mad forever!

Jenna:

Fine. I appreciate the silence. I might be able to get this story finished this way.

Jenna: Whatever.

HA! You spoke to me!

Jenna: DAMN YOU!

Sorian: Hang on, you're calling me heartless and nice. I'm confused, but thanks all the same.

Joker's Specter: Once again Joker, I thank you. It was worth waiting for that review. It brightened up my otherwise gloomy day. At least you're nice to me unlike some people, but I'm not naming names. coughSoriancough

Jenna: Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun, which is a good thing since she'd probably kill everyone.

**A Fallen Hero**

"Come on," said Sheba after five minutes of silence. "We need to get him a healer."

"What's the point? He's gone." Mia cried even harder at this remark and Jenna was about to hit Garet for saying such a thing when she saw the look of devastation on his face.

"We have to believe, Garet," she reassured him, but Garet didn't even look up at her. He continued to gaze at the blood-covered body of his friend with tears trickling down his cheeks.

Footsteps came from behind them as Felix, Karts and Piers approached. Felix had Karst in his arms who had her head down and refused to look at anyone except Felix.

"We can't give up on him," said Felix, a bit too fiercely. "There might be something that can bring him back."

"We don't need to bring him back." Everyone turned to Ivan. He stood up with Sheba clinging to his arm. "He's not dead."

Disbelief filled the eyes of those around him. They'd already felt the grief of losing Isaac once. What if Ivan was wrong and they'd have to go through it again.

"How can you be so sure?" Mia asked, looking into Ivan's violet eyes with her tear filled aquamarine orbs.

"Because I can still faintly hear his thoughts."

Even Karst looked up in amazement at his words. He spoke with such confidence in his voice that no one dared disbelieve him this time. If he said Isaac was alive, Isaac was alive.

"What's he saying?"

In answer to Mia's question, Ivan closed his eyes and disappeared into a world unknown to the others, apart from Sheba. She still clutched his arm, but she too could sense thoughts coming from Isaac.

A few minutes were all Ivan needed to probe Isaac's mind.

"He's saying something about darkness and being alone. He's in so much pain," he finally answered. "But there's still life left in him. It's as if he's trapped in his own mind. We really need to get him to a healer now."

Heads nodded and Garet forced himself to Isaac's right side with Piers on his left. They heaved him up with little effort and carried him back down the long staircase into the deserted room with Jenna comforting Mia, Sheba still in Ivan's arms and Felix trying to calm Karst with gentle words.

"And there I was thinking you didn't care about us 'wretches'."

Karst remained silent even when Felix put his hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"I...I...was just reminded about my sister, alright?"

He had a feeling this would be the answer and grabbed her hand as they walked.

"I'm sorry."

The others were waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs and Jenna raised an eyebrow when she saw their hands, but said nothing. In a quiet voice, Felix said, "Retreat", and felt the bliss of nothingness as he disappeared in the light.

* * *

'_Where am I? What's happening? Why can't I see?'_

_These thoughts flashed through Isaac's mind too quick for him to think about the answers. He was scared. All around him was the purest black and with every breath he took, thousands of sharp pains shot across his chest_. _But he couldn't even see himself in the darkness. Nothing made sense anymore._

"_HELP!" he shouted out pitifully, hoping with all his might that someone would answer him. Disappointment flooded into his body when he realised he was all alone._

* * *

Tiny spheres of light lit up the mountain as two figures appeared at the very top. Below them the town of Vale sat unsuspectingly. No one knew of the plans these men had made and were about to put into action. No one knew of the chaos that was about to be unleashed. 

"I don't see the Golden Sun, Alex. Where is it?" Agatio asked, his temper rising.

"It will appear soon, be patient." The calm Water Adept simply gazed at the amazing sight around him and crossed his arms.

"I didn't become part of your little plot to have to wait around!"

The anger in Agatio's voice wasn't enough to disrupt Alex's train of thought, but even he was annoyed at how long this process was taking. The Golden Sun was supposed to rise when all of the lighthouses had been relit. It had been a great deal of time since he'd thrown the Mars Star into the Mars Lighthouse and the Golden Sun still hadn't risen.

"I will not wait any longer! Use your new abilities to make it rise or something. I must have my powers!"

"SILENCE!"

Alex turned to his partner and flung his hand forward. Whatever he'd done, it had his desired effect on Agatio. The large man became deathly silent then fell backwards onto the floor with Alex standing directly over him.

"You will not take that tone with me! I am all powerful, not you. Only I will give the orders. It appears you've become no more than another problem I need to over come to get to my ultimate prize. This means I'll have to go back on our arrangement."

He clenched his fist and watched the life escape from Agatio's body until he lay still on the floor with his eyes closed.

"Why must I always be forced to everything myself," Alex thought aloud before turning back to the view below him.

* * *

"Please, you have to help him!" 

"There is nothing I can do. This man is quite clearly dead."

"He isn't!"

The Great Healer of Prox shook his head slowly at the ignorance of the small boy in front of him. He didn't seem willing to accept the truth about his friend.

"You don't understand, he isn't dead," Felix said, standing behind Ivan with his arm around Jenna's shoulder. "My friend here is a Jupiter Adept and can hear Isaac speaking in his mind."

"Even so, he is beyond my knowledge to heal. I can do nothing for him." With these final words, the healer closed the sanctum doors leaving the group out in the cold.

"What are we going to do now?" Garet asked, still holding Isaac's limp body with Piers.

"We have to go back home. Alex will already be there and our healer might be more willing to help Isaac," Felix replied quickly. "Piers, can you use your psynergy to take us there?"

"I'm not sure, my psynergy is still rather weak from the fight."

His eyes darted towards Mia, but she didn't look back. Her gaze was fixed on Isaac's pale face and tears kept falling down her cheeks. Ivan held her hand as well as Sheba's who looked just as pale as Isaac.

"Try." Felix's voice brought him back to the conversation and he nodded a response.

He dug into his pouch by his belt and pulled out the Teleport Lapis he always carried. It felt warm to the touch and shimmered as the snow around them continued to fall.

A hand suddenly fell on his shoulder telling him to wait.

"Wait, what about our parents, Felix? And Isaac's dad? We can't leave them here." Jenna stared at her brother, waiting for an answer.

"We'll have to leave them. If we don't go now, Alex will have unlimited power and Isaac might not survive."

Mia looked up at Felix then at Jenna. It was selfish of her to put Isaac before Jenna's parents, but she couldn't live without him. Surely Jenna knew this and felt the same way?

The auburn haired girl slowly nodded and waited for Piers to work his ancient psynergy.

"Teleport," Piers said in a shaky voice and the stone began to glow brightly.

No sooner had the words left his mouth, the whole group appeared in the heart of Vale, startling several people. Some called out to the group, recognising those who came from Vale, but they were paid no attention. They quickly made their way up the winding paths, following Felix and Jenna to the sanctum where the healer would be.

Luckily for them, the healer had just finished his period of meditation and was about to leave the sanctum when they arrived.

"Great Healer! Wait!"

The old man turned towards to cry and smiled at those running towards him.

"Jenna! Garet! You have finally returned. And you've brought Felix as well. You should really go to see the mayor though. He wants to speak with you when you've returned."

"No! We need your help desperately! It's Isaac," Jenna tried to explain as fast as possible while Garet and Piers brought Isaac forward. "He's been badly hurt."

"I see. Bring him in immediately."

The Great Healer led the way inside and cleared a small table for Isaac to lie on. He got to work straight away while the others looked on.

"What weapon did this?" he asked.

"The Gaia Blade," answered Felix as he looked to his side. Next to his own Sol Blade was Isaac's most powerful weapon. No one had wanted to touch it, but Isaac would have wanted it so it had ended up in Felix's hands.

"I see." The Great Healer nodded and continued his work. He used several healing items as well as his own psynergy and eventually managed to close the wound. It remained red and sore around the edges showing that it would end up becoming a scar that he would have for the rest of his life, but it was no longer bleeding. "I'm sorry. I've done all I can. There's still a chance that he will pull through, but I doubt he will. Are you sure he's worth this though? I can feel no pulse, no heartbeat. All the signs point to the fact that he's dead."

"He's not dead!"

"Of course he's worth it!"

"How could you say such a thing?!"

A barrage of voices met the Great Healers statement, each one desperate and sorrowful.

"I sorry, but he isn't responding to any revival spells I've done."

"Have faith," said Ivan suddenly. Until now, he'd been silent, simply holding Sheba and watching the Great Healer work with his mind going over everything that had happened. He closed his eyes and smiled at those around him. "He's stronger, he's fighting the darkness. It won't hold him back for long."

The Great Healer glanced at Felix, waiting for an explanation.

"Ivan's a Jupiter Adept. Apparently, he can hear Isaac speaking in his mind."

"There's no apparently about it. I can hear him and he isn't afraid of the darkness anymore. He knows we're here to help him."

"I want to talk to him."

Mia took a step towards Ivan, her face a picture of determination and her tears long forgotten. Ivan blinked. He'd never seen Mia like this before and knew she was serious. His hand lifted away from his side and she took it. Together, they placed their free hands on Isaac's cold forehead. In an instant, they left their bodies and entered the forbidden domain that was Isaac's mind.

It was completely black inside except for the area that surrounded them which glowed a heavenly white, heavily contrasting with the darkness.

"This is where Isaac is?" Mia asked as she tried to peer trough the intense gloom.

"Unfortunately, yes which is why we need to find him now. All the darkness surrounding him may end up taking over him if we don't."

"I thought you said he was fighting it."

"He is, but there's only so much he can withstand. This blackness doesn't just represent the being nearly killed by Alex; this is all the horrible things that have happened to him.

Mia eyes became wide with fear. How could she not know about all these bad memories? Isaac must be so torn up inside.

"Isaac!" she called out as loud as possible.

She was about to run off when Ivan grabbed her arm. He pointed to something in the opposite direction that was moving slightly against the black background.

As they approached it, the movements became more vigorous and they could see the outline of a figure.

"Isaac," Mia repeated in a hushed voice, barely daring to believe her own eyes.

Ivan pulled her forward and they ended up running towards the person they'd thought they'd lost. But something was drastically wrong. There was no white glow around Isaac like there was around them. There was only more darkness, which had completely surrounded him. It wrapped around his wrists and legs like a rope to stop him escaping and had covered his mouth.

When he saw his friends coming closer, Isaac struggled even more, tightening the black ropes and making him give a muffled cry.

"Calm down," Ivan said. "We're going to get you out of here. Don't you worry."

He knelt down to look at the blackness that coated Isaac's legs, while Mia held his head in her hands. Gingerly, she touched the shadows and grinned when it quickly retreated away from her light, revealing Isaac's happy smile.

"I thought I'd lost you."

"I made a promise, remember? I wasn't going to let some power-crazed maniac make me break it," he answered.

Mia was delighted to finally hear his soothing voice again and instantly pulled him into a loving kiss.

Ivan simply shook his head in disgust at their public display of affection as he gently tapped the remaining darkness covering the rest of Isaac's body. His own thoughts travelled to Sheba and how he longed to be out of this place and with her again. A goofy smile lit up his face and he desperately hoped that neither of his friends had noticed.

When Isaac and Mia had finally finished, Mia's white light seemed to have spread to Isaac and now he too glowed brightly. The darkness slowly faded, then disappeared altogether, leaving a beautiful white area filled with small bubbles. Each of these bubbles showed an image of Isaac's past. A particular image floated past showing the first kiss he'd shared with Mia, making the couple blush with embarrassment and Ivan giggle.

"I think it's time we got out of here. I would really prefer to have my mind remain a secret to others," Isaac said, giving Ivan an angry sideways glance that said, 'You tell anyone about what you saw and you won't live to see tomorrow'.

Ivan nodded and grabbed both of his friends' hands. Isaac's mind vanished and was replaced with the inside of the sanctum. To there delight, Isaac stirred then awoke on the table. He lifted his head up and peered around.

"Where are we?" he asked, confused at how he was suddenly in a sanctum.

"Isaac!"

He turned at the sound of his name and was amazed when he saw the Great Healer standing across the room.

"Great Healer? Guys, where am I?"

"You're home," Mia answered happily.

She laughed as the grin on Isaac's face intensified. He jumped of the bed; his health fully recovered and hugged Mia, then Ivan.

"I'm home!" he kept crying out in his excitement. "I'm home!"

Oddly enough, Ivan didn't seem to share his excitement. He looked around the room until his gaze landed on the Great Healer.

"Where are the others?"

The Great Healer must have been expecting this question and turned silently to the only window in the room. Though it, an intense beam of light shone making those who looked at it shield their eyes.

"The Golden Sun is rising. Your friends went to stop a man they called Alex."

Isaac stiffened when he heard this name. He stopped hugging Mia and headed towards the door.

"Isaac! Wait!" Mia ran after him leaving Ivan alone with the Great Healer.

"Go," the older man said. "They'll need you."

Ivan nodded and turned towards the door. He stopped suddenly and said over his shoulder, "Tell the villagers to get to safety," in a voice that didn't seem to belong to him. "Mount Aleph may not survive such a large amount of pure psynergy. Tell them to get away from Vale as quickly as possible."

As if he hadn't said a word, Ivan ran after his friends. The Great Healer smiled though in understanding.

"Thank you Wise One."

* * *

See! I would never kill off such an important character. I'm not evil. 

Jenna: Yeah, but it's still really evil.

It's called drama. My teacher says I'm very good at it.

Jenna: Why? Because you're a drama queen?

NO!

Jenna: That's not what I've heard.

Ok, quiet time now. Thanks for your lovely reviews everybody. They brighten my day. Please keep sending them in. Y'all come back now, ya hear!


	18. The Golden Sun

Hello one and all. Oracle has come bearing a new chapter.

Jenna: And Jenna has come to stop Oracle going mad.

Me? Mad? Never.

Jenna: Yeah right.

Anyway, here comes chapter 17. Wow, 17. It's a big number.

Jenna: You wanna know what's an even bigger number?

What?

Jenna: Every single one that comes after 17 you thicko!

Time to shut up now.

Mercury Gold: I don't know if it's your computers fault or not, but has your spelling gotten worse? Thanks for your lovely review. You don't think I'm being too mean to the others do you? I tried to make it a nice chapter, but everything kinda went really mean.

KevDawg673: Cool! A new reviewer! Wow, you're as bad as Joker with all the compliments. I don't think I can take it anymore. Just kidding. I'm glad someone else likes my work. By the way, Jenna is very angry that you missed her out.

Jenna: Extremely angry!

I'd watch what you type from now on. Her temper is a little unpredictable.

Joker's Specter: Trust you to find all the little imperfections. Yeah, you were right about the darkness, but it's also the memories of his horrible past: his father supposedly dying, his friends being kidnapped and his mother becoming ill. Also, it's not that Alex is impatient, he just never planned to share the power with Agatio and would have killed him anyway. Thanks for the lovely review Joker and I guess I'll chat to you later on msn.

Sorian: Ah. It wouldn't be a successful chapter without a review from Sorian. Thanks, I think, for your strange way of saying you like my story and I await your next one.

Jenna: Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun, but if she did, I would have to kill myself.

**The Golden Sun**

Finally, just above the horizon, a bright golden sphere was beginning to rise. It bathed every living thing with its glorious light and chased the shadows out of the world. Even the fiery red sun that already hung in the sky couldn't compete with it.

"At last, I will have my ultimate power."

Alex watched with hungry eyes as the brilliant orb steadily floated up. The one thing that he had wanted all his life was here and he would get what he wanted.

There was suddenly a shudder from deep down in the mountain below him and a sharp spire of rock flew up out of the ground. It would have hit him if he hadn't been waiting for such a thing to happen.

"You're too late," he cried to the group that stood a few metres behind him. "The sun is rising and there's nothing any of you can do to stop me."

"But we can try," Garet yelled back. "We want revenge for what you did to Isaac."

Alex turned to face the adepts and wasn't in the least bit surprised to see them all ready to attack him with all of their strength.

"You can try if you want, but how can you hope to win without the guidance of your leader, Isaac?" taunted Alex. He knew this would strike a soft spot in each of the warriors and was right. They all shifted nervously, averting their gaze. "You can't beat me. Even Karst's friend Agatio couldn't withstand my powers."

Everyone looked in the direction that Alex was pointing in and Karst gave a yelp of pain when her eyes fell on the defeated body of Agatio.

Garet had had enough of the Water Adept and his cruelty. Nearly losing Isaac had made him think a lot more than he would usually. The memory of fighting that Chimera came back to him and he suddenly realised how Isaac must have felt. With this in his mind, he charged forward drawing power from the thought of seeing his best friend again when this was over. He lifted his axe and took a swipe at Alex who simply leaned back and allowed the weapon to sweep over his chest.

"Is that the best you've got?"

In response to the reckless attack, Alex balled his fist and punched Garet in the middle of his chest. He then shot a powerful blast of water that would have hit Garet if Felix and Piers hadn't pulled him out of the way. The three boys fell to the floor in a heap with Garet, breathless and clutching his chest at the top of the pile.

"Stop being stupid Garet. You can't fight him alone," Felix muttered as he shoved the Fire Adept off of his stomach.

"For once in your life shut up and help me, Felix."

Felix couldn't believe what Garet had dared to say to him. How could he say such a thing? But he knew his childhood friend was right. He had never helped Garet even before his sister and the 'oaf' had become a couple. They needed to put their differences aside and fight as a team.

He briefly nodded at Garet who could barely believe his eyes then helped him up. Garet nodded back and smiled before turning back to Alex. Piers had already started his assault, matching each watery blast. But Alex had the upper hand. Even though Piers was managing to defend himself, he hadn't had a chance to attack yet because of Alex's speed. In a single moment, Alex had gotten past Piers defensive wall of water and took a mighty swing at the Lemurian. Garet and Felix had jumped behind Piers to catch him when he fell backwards, but they didn't notice Alex send out a barrage of ice that forced the boys many metres backwards. Each of them was covered with deep cuts and was chilled to the bone yet none of them were badly hurt.

Jenna had run over to heal her brother and Garet, while Piers cast Ply over himself.

"I told you, no one can beat me!" Alex cried out, watching the adepts give him dirty looks with evil pleasure.

"No one?"

Everyone turned to find the source of a strangely familiar voice. In between Ivan and Mia, as lively as ever, was Isaac. Alex's strangled gasp couldn't be heard over the cries of joy from the other adepts as they ran to their leader. Sheba and Jenna both launched themselves at his chest and hugged him as tightly as possible with the boys and Karst following much slower. The ice seemed to have done more damage than they'd realised, but that wasn't going to stop them from getting to their friend. Felix stuck out his hand to shake Isaac's and was surprised when the younger boy flung his arms around him. Piers tried to do the same only to be pulled into a just as tight hug.

At the edge of the little ring, Garet was still wincing in pain whenever he moved, but constantly stared at Isaac just in case this was all an illusion and the Venus Adept would suddenly fall to the floor, dead like before. When Isaac turned to Garet, the redhead tried to pull himself up to his full height, continuing to grimace from the pain. Isaac's grin simply increased and he pressed his gloved hand onto Garet's chest. Almost instantly, the pain had vanished and it felt as if he'd never fought at all.

"Isaac..." Garet started, but was interrupted by the silent stop signal Isaac made with his hand. The best friends hurled themselves forward into an emotional embrace.

When Isaac had also hugged Karst, despite her protest, he turned and stared intently at Alex. The Water Adept did not return the gaze though. His eyes were fixed on the sky.

"Look!" he cried out. "Now even the unconquerable Isaac will not be able to stop me. In but a mere few seconds, the power of Alchemy will be mine and mine alone."

What he said was true. The Golden Sun was already high in the sky, nearly the same height as the actually sun that seemed ready to fuse with its golden copy.

"Too bad, Alex. I won't let you have the power. I will make sure that no one like you will ever get it," Isaac claimed. He meant every word and would do exactly what he said until his body or mind failed him.

"But you don't understand. You're too late!"

Alex spread out his arms to receive his power as the light slowly crept up the mountain. Without a thought in his head, Isaac did what his heart told him and began running towards Alex.

"Felix!" Ivan cried, suddenly turning to the older boy. "You have to go too!"

"Why?" was the stunned answer.

"It's your destiny and you know it."

Felix did know it. The thought had been at the back off his mind for a while now ever since he had innocently eavesdropped on a conversation Ivan had been having with Sheba. Ivan had said something about two chosen ones saving Weyard and how he thought those two were Isaac and himself.

Bracing himself for anything, he ran out after Isaac, much to the dismay of Jenna.

"It's his destiny," Ivan repeated. Sheba gripped his hand and Ivan's mind went blank.

_Sheba? What are you doing?_

_Allowing you to see the future._

The dream Sheba had had so long ago quickly flew past his eyes. Destruction and pain filled his senses leaving him breathless and numb.

_That was the future?_

_A possible future._

_Well, let's hope they succeed then._

The colourful world appeared around him once more and he set his gaze on the two boys who had only just reached Alex.

"Let's hope they succeed," he repeated under his breath, while Sheba squeezed his hand.

* * *

The two adepts of the earth reached Alex with time to spare, but without any idea of how they would stop him. The Golden Sun finally reached its highest point in the sky, met the fiery sun that had warmed the world since the beginning of time and merged with it in a blinding flash of white light. This light shone over each of the adepts sending them all to the hard ground except Isaac, Felix and Alex. These three remained standing as they were bathed in the brilliant light.

A minute passed by and the light disappeared allowing those on the floor to peer around in wonder. Mia's eyes widened with fear when she saw Isaac standing as still as can be next to Felix and Alex.

Alex cried out in clear rage, cursing the two adepts for ruining his plans.

"The power is mine! I will not allow you to take it away from me!"

He drew energy from the light around him and shot a beam of pure psynergy straight at them. Caught off guard, they were forced backwards with the full force of attack searing their clothes and skin.

Their friends came to their aid, healing them and helping them up, each of them wanting to help in some way.

"Let us help you," Garet insisted.

"You can't possibly fight him alone. He has too much power," Piers added.

"No, we can not allow you to get hurt. This is our fight."

"This is everyone's fight." Sheba's emerald eyes looked up at Isaac filled with so much wisdom for someone so young. "Everyone here is involved and the only chance we have to defeat Alex is to work together and combine our psynergy. I saw it in a vision."

"I don't want my friends to get hurt, Sheba, whether you saw it in a vision or not. I can not allow you to help."

"I'm the Leader of Jupiter. I won't get hurt."

"But if I allowed you, Mia and Karst to fight, the others would want to as well."

"Too right we would!" called out Jenna from her brother's side.

"Exactly. I..."

Their conversation was cut short as another beam of light shot towards them. Isaac and Felix both held up their hands and unleashed their newly acquired powers to create a large shield around them. In front of them, Alex sneered and prepared to attack again. Everyone, including Garet, Jenna, Ivan and Piers spread out in a wide arc.

_It looks like we will be fighting after all, Isaac, _said Sheba's voice in his mind. Anger swelled up inside Isaac, but he had other things to think about now. He lifted his head up towards the sky and began chanting a language he did not even know he knew. The words slipped through his lips as if he'd spoken them his whole life. To this left, he heard Felix do the same and watched as his friends around him began to glow. Wings sprouted from the backs of the other leaders and those without wings slowly floated up into the air so that they could keep up with the fight that would most likely take part in the air.

The heat of Alex's attack made Isaac look forward in time to see a ball of the bluest light hurtling towards him. He raised his arms to protect himself only to feel something else push him aside. He lifted himself up and smiled at Mia who'd landed on top of him.

"Thanks."

"You should really be more careful," she joked as they got to their feet.

Above them, the fight had already begun without them with Felix leading the attack. It was nothing more than a mass of bodies, psynergy and cries of pain. Alex was putting up a better fight than anyone could have imagined and easily fought all seven of them without breaking a sweat. Even when Isaac and Mia joined them, he still continued effortlessly.

"With all my power merged together, you weaklings don't stand a chance!" he yelled cockily, casually shooting a steady stream of water at them.

"We can't win," Felix muttered to Isaac as they both breathed heavily. "He's too fast, too strong, too powerful."

"He's only winning because we're letting him. We don't know we can win because of Sheba's vision."

"You saw it then?"

"As soon as the Golden Sun shone on my body. Listen, we have to stop thinking we can win. We have to know we can win. If you can, tell the others that."

_(AN. Just in case you were wondering, I kinda got that little bit from 'The Matrix' which I don't own either. It confused me.)_

With a newfound hope growing inside him, Felix flew over to Jenna and began whispering in her ear. Isaac smiled at this. He never thought he could inspire someone so much. Taking a deep breath, he glided towards Alex, reaching for his sword as he did. But his hand gripped empty air. His Gaia Blade was missing from his side. The scar across his chest tinged slightly and he suddenly remembered what had happened to it.

"Isaac!" Felix called out from above. As Isaac looked up, the familiar blade flew through the air towards him. Instead of catching it, he clenched his fist and watched the sword soar past him under his control. It sped forwards and would have embedded itself in Alex's own chest if he hadn't summoned a shield of light around himself.

"You'll have to do better than that," the Water Adept sneered before grabbing the sword and throwing it back at its owner. Isaac caught it with ease and held it in his tight grip.

A huge bolt of lightning blasted down from the sky and completely surrounded Alex. A jet of flames followed it, which twisted in the air making it look like a huge dragon that roared at its opponent. Finally, a sphere of ice formed around Alex, trapping him.

Looking up, Isaac saw all of his friends grinning back at him. Sheba and Ivan still held each others hand after combining their Jupiter Psynergy, Garet, Jenna and Karst were lowering their owns hands and Mia was standing next to Piers probably smiling the most.

Only when he heard the loud crash of ice breaking did Isaac turn around. Alex was floating in a ball of bright angry red light that shone without a source. His eyes burned and his fists shook with rage.

"I have had enough of this. It's time to end this." The light changed from red to white and spread to his hands until only they shone. He held them in front of him and began chanting in the same language Isaac and Felix had used. Both Venus Adepts heard and understood what he was doing and cried out in fear. They glided towards each other and hovered protectively before their friends in a last attempt to protect them.

"Isaac!" Mia shouted. "What are you doing? What's going to happen?"

Isaac twisted his head back and their eyes met. He flashed a small grin, but his tear covered cheeks showed his real feelings. Mia could only just see him mouth the words, 'I love you,' before he turned away.

"They're going to sacrifice themselves for our protection," said Sheba in a voice so quiet she could barely even hear herself, but to Mia, it was as if she'd shouted them in her ear. She dove down, crying to her soul mate all the way as Felix and him prepared attacks similar to Alex's.

Even though it was tearing him apart, Isaac continued. He had too. Felix felt exactly the same way. Jenna's voice screamed from above as well as someone else's. His eyes darted up and landed on Karst. She was flying down with Jenna and the others. To his amazement, there were actually tears in her eyes and her voice was high pitched from her terror. But this didn't stop him. His hands glowed next to Isaac's, almost ready, almost finished.

Alex growled in anger adding this emotion to the ball of energy in his hands.

_I will win. I will have my power. No one can stop me!_

The ball of energy burst forward at an amazing speed and headed towards the two boys.

"NO!" cried out seven voices.

At the last second, Isaac and Felix released their own energy balls and watched as the three attacks merged, creating a more powerful force that covered the mountain and the adepts in its light.

* * *

I think I'll leave it there.

Jenna: You know how much I hate cliffhangers!

I do, but it's necessary for the drama contained within my delicately put together plot.

Jenna: You have a plot?!

I'm gonna ignore you know. Just so you know, reviews are like tiny little animals that are dying out. Please, you just have to give more reviews to help them live, you've just gotta! Hehe, R&R!


	19. A New Journey

I'm back!

Jenna: (Looks up from her magazine and glares at me) Took you long enough. I thought you'd died from writers block.

…oh, thanks so much. What a lovely friend you are.

Jenna: I'm not your friend; I'm your muse stupid.

Whatever. Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I've had extreme writers block. I haven't slept properly in weeks.

**A New Journey**

The air buzzed with energy as the three attacks collided. Their combined force created a blast that could be heard all over Weyard. It immobilized the adepts, letting them do nothing except watch the sparks that erupted from the middle of the explosion which stuck the mountain top and created hundreds of craters.

In a moment, the noise and sparks disappeared and the adepts were able to move once more. Mia gasped when she saw Isaac and Felix slowly sinking to the floor, their heads hanging against their chest and their arms limp by their sides.

As soon as they landed on the destroyed ground, the power they'd used to give the others the power of flight faded away causing Jenna, Garet, Ivan and piers to fall. Each of them was caught quickly by one of the leaders who gently placed them onto the floor before they all rushed to the Venus Adepts.

"Felix! Please wake up!" Jenna cried, clutching her brother's tunic in fear.

Mia silently sobbed, sinking to her knees, unable to believe that she may have lost Isaac again. But the gentle rise and fall of his chest reassured her that he wasn't going to give up this time. A hand touched her shoulder and Ivan's calm face appeared next to her.

"You ok?" he asked.

Mia waved her hand dismissively and said, "Yeah, just shocked." Her hand rose to the same level as her eyes and she tried to wipe her tears away without anyone looking.

There was a strangled gasp from Piers and everyone looked up at him.

"Alex has gone!" the Lemurian cried, pointing towards the spot where Alex should have been with a shaky hand.

A ripple of worry passed through the group and Garet walked away from his place by Jenna towards Piers, constantly searching the area around them for any sign of the Water Adept incase he was hiding. Satisfied that he wasn't, Garet bent down and lifted Isaac up. Mia put her arm around Isaac's waist to share the burden while Jenna and Karst grabbed Felix. With the Teleport Lapis in his hand, Piers summoned up his psynergy and allowed the cool power to transport them away from the battlefield and back to Vale.

* * *

Felix's dark eyes slowly opened. All around him was nothing more than a hazy mess of colours and he suddenly had a strong sense of déjà vu. It remained him of the dungeons in Lemuria and the images began to repeat themselves in his weakened mind. He could hear Jenna crying out and felt a pressure on his chest. It was only when he heard his name exactly like before that he woke from his daze and was finally able to look around properly. He wasn't in the dungeons. He was in the Sanctum in Vale and the pressure on his chest was Jenna who was hugging him tightly as if scared that he'd suddenly disappear.

"Hey Jenna," he managed to croak, surprised by the soreness of his throat.

Jenna said nothing, but continued to hug him.

Across the room on a separate bed, Isaac was smiling broadly from his sitting position with Mia on his lap and her arm firmly wrapped around his neck. The others were sitting in various places around the room and each of them smiled happily at the older boy when he looked at them. All except Garet who'd disappeared and Karst who was sitting silently in a corner with her head in her hands.

After drinking the cool water Piers had passed to him, Felix leaned back against his pillow with Jenna still sitting next to him and looked over at the others expectantly.

"So, what exactly happened? Did we win?"

Isaac looked up as well.

"Something I've been wondering about."

While Mia, Jenna and Piers quickly explained the details of the fights final moments, Ivan and Sheba sat by the door to the sanctum, deep in a silent conversation.

"_My vision came true."_

"_I know."_

"_But what if my second vision comes true as well?"_

"_The one about the two armies about to go to war?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_But I thought if we prevented Alex from gaining the Golden Suns power that wouldn't be part of the future. Am I right?"_

"_Now I'm not so sure."_

Ivan gazed into Sheba's sorrowful eyes and pulled her loser to him. There wasn't much he could say now to comfort the poor future seer. Her visions were hers to bear, but he wouldn't let her bear the burden alone.

Everyone turned suddenly when the doors to the sanctum burst open and Garet ran in gasping for air.

"Hi Garet," Isaac said cheerfully. "Where did you go?"

"Isaac!" the red-head panted, completely ignoring his question. "I've found…someone who wants…to see you!"

Garet turned and helped a pale woman through the door. Isaac sat up instantly, his eyes fixed on the woman.

"Mum?" he whispered.

Dora nodded and walked towards her son then pulled him into a tight embrace while the others watched, smiling.

"I missed you so much," she said in a voice that gave away how much she truly meant those words.

She sat on the chair Ivan had brought her with Isaac's hand clasped in hers and gazed happily at her son.

"Please say you're back for good now."

The answer 'yes' had just formed on his lips when Isaac remembered what he still had to do. He shook his head sadly and pulled Mia off his lap, then shakily got out of bed.

"I have to go to Prox."

Felix and Jenna nodded in understanding, and Karst looked up wiping away a stay tear for her fallen friend.

"Why? I thought you'd finished. The lighthouses are lit now, aren't they?" asked Dora as she stared at Isaac now out of confusion.

With closed eyes, Isaac turned back to his mother.

"Mum," he started slowly, opening his eyes again. "I have to tell you something."

Dora looked from Isaac to his friends that surrounded her, each of them wearing an emotionless face so they wouldn't give away the news to her.

"Felix told us that no one died on the night of the storm. Those who were washed away when the boulder hit were found and taken to Prox in the north by Saturos and Menardi, the two who kidnapped Jenna."

It only took a few moments for Dora to understand what Isaac was talking about. She gasped and lifted her left hand to her mouth in shock.

"Does that mean?"

"Dad's not dead and I have to go find him."

Isaac made his way to the door and disappeared into the outside world.

Without a second thought, Mia followed him holding her hand out to stop Garet, Ivan, Jenna and Dora from doing the same.

"Isaac!" she called out, making the blonde turn slowly around. "Wait!" She ran to him and grabbed his hand in hers. "Where are you going?"

"Home," was the answer. "I've been away for so long; I've almost forgotten what it looks like. Almost…"

Mia smiled, her worries melting away and joined him as he continued to walk.

For a while, they walked in silence as Isaac took in the familiar sights of the town he'd grown up in.

"Mia," he finally said, giving her a sideways glance. "There's something I need you to do for me."

"Anything."

"Stay here while I go to Prox."

Amazed by his words, Mia stopped and looked at him in disbelief. They travelled together for so long, why did he suddenly think she would even consider leaving him. Not know that they both knew how each other felt.

"What? Why?"

"I just…I want you to stay here because you're the only one I trust to look after my mother. She won't admit it, but I know she hasn't been feeling well lately. I don't want to come back and find her in the sanctum being healing by someone with half of your talents."

Mia's eyes softened and her smile returned. Though she would have preferred to go with him and make sure he didn't get into too much trouble, it was obvious that he cared deeply about his mother. She nodded in answer and laughed when he swept her up into a hug.

"Thank you Mia. I knew you'd understand," he said softly then kissed her lightly on the lips.

Both of them slipped into the peaceful bliss of the kiss with thoughts of only each other in their minds. When they pulled apart, Isaac slowly traced his finger around Mia's soft lips, his eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Come on. Let's give you a proper tour of Vale."

Again, Mia nodded, gripped Isaac's hand tighter and allowed him to lead her away into the little town.

* * *

The group that were saying good bye to the four departing heroes the next morning was so much smaller than it had been when Isaac and Garet had left, but it didn't matter since those that were there were the most important people to them.

Jenna had her arms around Garet's neck, promising him to him that she wouldn't be long and crying softly into his shoulder. Although he wasn't crying, Garet spoke with a voice full of pain and sorrow. If he could, he would join her on this journey, but he had to be with his family now. He kissed her quickly in case Felix was watching and walked with her towards Isaac who was saying goodbye to Mia, Ivan, Sheba and Dora.

"Don't stay away too long," Ivan was saying with his arms around Sheba. "You know how much we fall apart without our fearless leader to guide us, especially with Garet around."

"I won't," Isaac replied, chuckling softly.

"You'd better not," said Mia.

"Everyone ready?" Piers asked, breaking away from his conversation with Felix and Karst.

"Yes," was the answer from the two Venus Adepts while Jenna and Karst nodded briefly.

Before Isaac could turn with the others to leave, Dora stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on her son's shoulder.

"Be careful Isaac. I don't want to loose either you or your father again."

They hugged, quickly memorising each other and thinking about how much they'd miss each other, then Dora stepped back to watch her only son leave her once more.

With one last kiss, Isaac walked away from Mia sadly and joined Felix, Jenna and Karst. Together they left the small town on hopefully their last quest before everything could finally return to the way it once was.

* * *

In Tolbi, the news of Lord Babi and Iodem's murders has spread like wild fire throughout the town. Panic had taken over. Without their leader, the people didn't know what to do and chaos ensued. Then, one particularly hot day, a man appeared outside the palace of the Lord and called every member of the town to come and listen to what he had to say.

"I have heard of your troubles and wish to help you all by becoming your new Lord."

The townsfolk murmured to each other uncertainly until one man called out, "Why should you be the new Lord? For all we know, you could be a thief here to steal our towns gold."

"I am a friend of Isaac, the winner of Colosso, and aided him in the lighting of the elemental lighthouses. But he has turned against us, him and all those with the power of psynergy. I stood up to him and he sent me away so I am here now. I wish to be your Lord so that I may gain your help to rid Weyard of those with the evil power. It was his fault that Lord Babi and Iodem died, he released the Golden Sun that caused their deaths due to unnatural power. I only wish to avenge their deaths and stop him."

Everyone around him cheered. Although they were still uncertain about this man, but they needed a leader and if Isaac truly killed Babi and Iodem, any enemy of his him was a friend to them.

"What is your name?" a young woman asked curiously.

"Alex."

* * *

Dun dun DUN!!!

Jenna: Alex! I shoulda known!

Well, happy people, I have come to the end of my story. But fear not, I sequel will follow.

Jenna: Why don't you just finish the story with your sequel?

Because I want to do a few more stories before I start my sequel.

Jenna: In other words, you can't be bothered.

Urm…well…kinda.

Jenna: I knew it!

Anyway, it's been real nice writing for everyone and I hope you all review one last time before you go off in search of another story to dot on. BYE BYE!!!


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